


Practical Magic

by Bootsncatz (bootsncatz)



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Wayhaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-11-23 06:05:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11396838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bootsncatz/pseuds/Bootsncatz
Summary: Practical Magic - AU.  Legend of the Earp curse states that anyone who dare fall in love with an Earp, is doomed to die.  When Officer Haught comes into town, Waverly must avoid making her the new victim of the curse while also convincing her she didn't kill Wyonna's boyfriend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I thought this would be fun so...I decided to give it a whirl. This will be a slow burn...so be prepared.

The Earp girls had always created a stir.

It all started with their great great grandmother Whilomena.  A witch.  The first in the Earp family.  It was a small part of the reason why the small town of Purgatory wanted to hang her.  Most of the reason was that she was a heartbreaker.  There wasn't a single husband in the town who hadn't been charmed by Whilomena.  And as it so happened, all of their wives were on the hanging committee.

Though some would argue that it wasn't because of that.  Aunt Wanda Earp would tell the girls, it was because they were afraid of her gift.  Earp legend said that when she was about to be hanged, she stepped off that platform and immediately turned into a crow and flew off that island.  

But she only flew to the next island over, unborn child in her belly, as she waited for her lover to come join her.  He never did, and her heart grew bitter.  No one came for Whilomena and her baby.

In a moment of particular sadness, she cast a spell on herself.  That she would never feel the agony of love.  A spell that eventually turned into a curse.  A curse on every person that dared try to love an Earp girl.

That's how Wynonna and Waverley's father died.  And how their mother, Wynette Earp died of a broken heart.  She knew death was coming for her husband.  She heard it in the chirp of the beetle, getting louder and louder.  She knew when you heard the sound of a Death March Beetle, your man was doomed to die.

And that, is how Waverly and Wynonna Earp came to live with their Aunts, Wanda and Wahley, in the old family home.  It sat just high enough on a hill to catch the breeze off the ocean, scent of the sea flooding the home.  And it was just far enough from the town that there weren't a whole lot of passerby to stare and whisper about the aunts who lived in the home.  Rumors of their "practices" ran through the town and it wasn't helped by the sisters flamboyant dress and general attitude.

The two young Earp girls moved in, totally romanced by the fact that their Aunts let them eat cake for breakfast and pizza for dinner every night if they wanted.  Waverly would wonder (she was always the one wondering the most out of the two) if it was just because her Aunts were trying to find a way to distract them from their loss.  But one quick bite of chocolate cake for breakfast and she didn't care to know the answer anymore.

Waverly could pin point the moment Wynonna changed, the moment she went from a carefree little girl to guarded.  They were outside playing in their Aunt's yard and a group of local children ran up to the white picket fence that surrounded the house.  Wynonna, in her childhood innocence ran up to the fence, waving at the other children.

"Want to play?" she asked with an excited clap of her hands.

The other kids only hesitated for a moment, but as soon as a blonde little girl (who Waverly could only assume was the leader) began the chant, the other children joined in.

"Witch!  Witch!  You're a witch!"

And if that wasn't enough, they started to throw small rocks and other debris, one hitting Wynonna right in the head.  The brunette fell down in shock and pain, Waverly running over to her.  She dropped on her knees, cradling Wynonna's head in her lap.  The other kids continued to chant and throw things, but she couldn't be concerned with them when her sister was looking up at her, big blue eyes filled with pain and confusion.

That, Waverly could pin point, is when her sister became jaded towards the world.  She was a talented witch, to say the least, but her amplified 'care free' persona stemmed from the hurt she sustained from the rejection of her peers.  

Later that day, they were sitting out on the lawn, having their regular tea and dessert hour when Waverly decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since her daddy died.

"Wanda, Wahley, is there really an Earp curse?" Waverly asked softly, nibbling on a scone.

Aunt Wahley scoffed and tossed her blonde hair behind her shoulder, large hat falling forward to almost obscure her face.  "Honey, the only curse in this family is sitting at the end of this table," she said pushing the brim of her hat back and giving Aunt Wanda a pointed look.  The girls giggled and looked over at Wanda.

"Oh please," Aunt Wanda said taking a sip of her 'special tea', "there is a curse.  Even you have to admit that every person that dare love an Earp girl is doomed to end up six feet under.  It's been proven."

"You're full of hogwash," Wahley said, brushing it off with a wave of her hand.

"What about my poor Ethan?" Wanda asked.

Wahley leaned towards the girls and whispered, "That was an accident."

"It wasn't an accident, it was fate!" countered Wanda.

"Accident!"

"Fate!"

"Accident!"

"Fate!"  Wanda hissed out, emotion chocking her voice a little.  The girls got quiet and Aunt Wahley (wisely) decided not to push it further.  Waverly looked down at her plate for a moment, watching as an ant carried off a crumb from her scone before looking back up at her aunts.

"Mama died of a broken heart, didn't she?" Waverly asked quietly.

Wynonna quickly looked down at her plate.  She had been avoiding the topic of their mother since the funeral.  Both women got quiet, Wahley looking off towards the ocean, tears pooling in her eyes.  Wanda swallowed thickly and looked over at her granddaughters with sympathetic eyes.  "Yes.  Yes she did die of a broken heart."

Waverly felt the ache in her heart intensify and wondered how badly her Mama must have been hurting to die of a broken heart.  Was her Wahley cleared her throat and forced a smile on her face.  "Now, my little witches, why don't we go inside and learn some spells?"

Wynonna clapped excitedly, practically bouncing out of her seat.  Waverly smiled broadly but shook her head.  "But what about my homework?"

"Pish posh," Wanda said adjusting the broad brimmed hat on her head, "You two are going to learn things in this house that you'll never learn in school."

They all went into the house where the kitchen table was set up with spell books, talismans and other little things they may need for their spells.  Little bits of sage and other plants sat neatly in tied little bundles in the middle of the table, paired with crystals that made their properties even more powerful.  Waverly had been practicing a spell to light a candle with nothing but her breathe.  She sat at her usual spot, centuries old book open to the correct page.  She ran her fingers over the old parchment, filling every dip and dive of the surface, riddled with age and imprinted with the fingers of her ancestors.

She wondered how often her mom had sat here at this table, or on the couch, book in her lap as she read the incantations and spells.

Wynonna sat on the other side of the table, more interested in the plants and crystals then the other books on the table.  Waverly read the incantation slowly to herself, sounding out every word carefully (she hadn't quite mastered latin yet) until she was sure she had it right.  So she said it in her mind once more and blew on the unlit candle in front of her.  The wick smoked, softly at first before a flame blossomed from the tip.  

"You've got a gift!"  Their Aunts clapped at Waverley's success and Wynonna pulled one of the unlit candles closer to herself.  She blew on it harshly, little bits of spit spraying the table as she did so.  When the candle remained unlit, she pouted at Wanda.

"Why didn't it work?" Wynonna asked.

"Don't worry, little bug," Wahley said tapping the end of Wynonna's nose affectionately, "You'll learn someday.  You're going to be very powerful, I can sense it."

That seemed to satisfy Wynonna and she continued to blow on the candle to no success.  There was a loud frantic knock at the door and all four Earps stopped what they were doing and just sat for a moment.  The knock came again and the two older women looked at each other before shooing the girls up the stairs.

"Go on up to your room girls, practice your spells there," Wanda said and Wahley went to the door.  All Waverly could see as she reluctantly went up the stairs was a woman's tear streaked face pressed against the glass paneling of the door.

Wynonna and Waverly went up to their rooms like they were told and tried to distract themselves.  Wynonna looked out the window, enchanting the little ants that ran around the sill to form patterns and shapes in their lines.  It was the first spell she had mastered...or really accomplished at all at this point.  Waverly was the one most likely to stay up all night figuring out what language an incantation was and trying to decipher the language.  But Wynonna was more likely to...accidentally release magic.  In times of extreme frustration or anger, little things would happen around the older sister that could only be described as magic.  At their mother's funeral, flowers blossomed before their eyes around their mother's headstone after Wynonna touched it.

They heard elevated voices downstairs and both girls looked at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

They snuck out of the room and halfway down the stairs, right to the point where they could just barely see into the kitchen where their Aunts were with a clearly distraught woman.  They sat, Wynonna on the step just behind Waverly, and listened to what was happening.

"I just love him so much," she said through heavy tears, "I can't sleep, I can't eat...he's all I think about."

"Maybe you can find someone better suited for you," Wahley said as she waved some incense over the woman's head.

The woman turned her head towards Wahley, "I don't want anyone else, I want him!  Why else would I be here?"

Wanda and Wahley gave each other a look and Wanda nodded towards a pouch on the table.  "Just take the money."

Wahley took the pouch and put it in the pocket of her apron with a nod.  Wanda had a bird in her hand and Wahely had a shriveled crows foot in her hand.  She handed a long skewer to the distraught woman.  "Make your wish, dear."

"I want him to love me so much, he can't stand it," she said before stabbing the bird in one quick motion.  Waverly looked away, hiding her face in Wynonna's lap.  How could people talk about how great love was?  Clearly it was nothing but a sham.  A painful sham.  Love killed her Mama.  She died of a broken heart.  She died because she knew what love was and lost it.  This woman would kill a bird and make a wish just for love.  Waverly would not put herself through that.

"I never want to fall in love.  I never want to fall in love," Waverly whispered to herself.  

"I can't wait to fall in love," Wynonna said with in an awed voice.

For a week Waverly would lie awake in bed, pondering what she should do to prevent falling in love.  Finally, she had an idea.  She would write a spell for a love that could never happen.  Finally one day, she was ready.

Waverly couldn't sleep that night.  She laid awake in bed, stark up at the ceiling wondering when love would come for her.  Would she be ready to fight it?  When she heard her Aunts snoring in the room over, she knew it was time.  She sat up in bed, swung her legs off the side of the bed and padded over to Wynonna's bed.  

"Wynonna!" she whispered bouncing up on the bed.

"Let me sleep," Wynonna grumbled, turning away from her sister.

"I want to do a spell," Waverly said shaking her sister insistently.

Wynonna perked up at the word 'spell' and crawled out of the bed.  Waverly picked up the spell book, nearly as big as her tiny body, and walked down to the greenhouse.  She propped it up on a table and flipped to the spell she was looking for.  She set her notebook down next to the spell book, each aspect of her spell written neatly onto the lined paper.

She picked up a clay bowl and cradled it in one arm and went through the greenhouse, gathering the appropriate flowers and herbs as she began to repeat the spell to herself:

_"My one true love_  
_They can ride a pony backwards_  
_They will hear my call a mile away_  
_They will whistle my favorite song_  
_They can flip pancakes in the air"_

"What kind of spell is that?" Wynonna asked, leaning both elbows on the table as she watched her younger sister.

"It's called Amas Veritas.  It's a love spell," Waverly answered before continuing.

_"They will be marvelously kind_  
_Their favorite shape will be a star_  
_And They will have one hazel eye, one brown."_

"I thought you never wanted to fall in love," Wynonna said quietly as if she had caught her sister in something.

"That's the point," Waverly said as she circled her hand counter clockwise over the bowl, "The love I dreamed up doesn't exist.  If he doesn't exist, I'll never fall in love.  If I never fall in love, I'll never die of a broken heart."

And with that binding promise and spell, Waverly grew up without the fear of falling in love.

***

"Waves!  Can I take that sweater of yours?  the comfy one that looks better on me anyways?" Wynonna said.  She haphazardly pulled a sweater from Waverley's closet, hanger flying off the pole and falling to the ground.

Waverly, eight years later, still remained the more reserved, down to earth of the two sisters.  Wynonna, though older, was not the most responsible.  The youngest raised an eyebrow at Wynonna.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked glancing down at the idling red convertible outside of the house.

"You have no idea," Wynonna said with a bright smile.

"Do you love him enough to marry him?" Waverly asked seriously.

Wynonna rolled her eyes playfully and attempted to zip up her duffle bag.  "Oh come on, Waves.  What even is enough?  I hate it here.  I want to leave.  I want to go somewhere where no one's ever heard of us.  Somewhere I'll be more then just 'that Earp girl'."

She lugged her duffle over to the open window and tossed it out to the handsome, floppy haired boy waiting diligently below.  Waverly played with a loose string on her pants, not looking up at her sister as she sighed.  "I feel like I'm never going to see you again."

Wynonna looked at her sister for a moment, expression softening as she sat on the bed next to her.  "Of course you'll see me again," she said ducking her head to catch Waverley's eyes, "We're going to grow old together in a big house.  Just two sassy old ladies and a bunch of cats.  I bet we're even going to die on the same day."

Waverly chuckled softly.  "Swear?"

Holding up a single finger, Wynonna walked over to the window and shouted down at the boy. "Hey, I need to borrow your pocket knife."

"For what?" he asked as he reached for it.

"We're sacrificing a virgin.  Now hand it over," she said holding her hand out for him to throw it up.  He scoffed, obviously used to Wynonna's answers before tossing it up to her.  With knife in hand, Wynonna sat back on the bed with Waverly.  Holding her palm up, she sliced the knife across her hand and gestured for her sisters hand.  She offered it up, reluctantly, wincing when Wynonna sliced her hand as well.  They pressed their palms together, and Wynonna locked eyes with her younger sister.  "My blood, your blood, our blood...I swear to you, you will see me again.  And we will grow old and wrinkly together."

Waverly smiled broadly, the warmth and tingling of the magic in their palms pressed together tangible in the air.  Waverly pulled Wynonna into a long hug, holding her tightly.

"I love you, Wy.  Be safe," she said under her breath.

"I love you too," Wynonna said.  She squeezed her sister even tighter before finally letting go. With one last look back, Wynonna climbed out their bedroom window and into the car.  She waved up at Waverly as they pulled away into the dark, both sisters immediately feeling the loss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the interest you've shown in this work. It's going to be a slow Wayhaught burn...but it'll be worth it!

It was a Tuesday, a year after Wynonna had left. And Tuesday meant their weekly letter from the absent sister. Waverly tagged along with Wahley and Wanda to the post office to pick up the mail. Wahley searched through the junk and bills to find a bright postcard, a picture of a beach on the front.

"Ooh, she's in Orlando now," Wahley said turning the postcard over.

"I guess that means she's done with that construction worker she picked up at a bar," Wanda said with a roll of her eyes.

Waverly sighed, pushing her sunglasses up her nose, "This is ridiculous. She goes through these guys like nothing."

"Hopefully some day she'll find a guy who goes through her," Wanda said with a smirk.

The youngest Earp just scoffed and followed her Aunt's into the outdoor market. A little girl and her mother passed as they walked, little girl unabashedly staring at the women. Wahley noticed and leaned close to the girl as they passed. "Hello, sweetie!"

The mother quickly pulled the little girl close to her, shooting a dirty look at the three witches.

Wanda twirled her parasol and gave the mother a dirty look. "Just give up, Wahley."

"Never."

Wahley had never given up on the hope that some day the town would forget about the whole "witches" thing and just embrace them. Wanda, on the other hand, would rather not spend her energy pretending they weren't the pariahs of the town. She preferred to capitalize on it and terrorized as man of the close minded townsfolk as she could. Whispering under her breath while looking at a gossiping group of women always seemed to do the trick.

They walked across the street and a horse instantly stopped pulling the cart it had been so diligently walking just moments before. The horse reared it's head and neighed, backing up to get as far away from the Earps as it could. Wanda cooed and held a hand out to the horse but it still shied away.

Waverly sighed and crossed her arm tight over her chest as they walked. This was all too common. Being shunned by the town and animals cowering from them. It had slowly been getting to her since she moved to the seaside town.

"All I want is a normal life," Waverly said taking Wynonna's postcard. Her heart ached thinking about her sister. She was happy for her, no doubt...but she was always worried about her. The pain of missing her was more then she could bear sometimes.

"Oh dear," Wanda said as they made their way to the usual produce stand they always visited, "when are you going to learn that 'normal' is not necessarily a virtue? Rather, it denotes lack of courage."

Waverly sighed, "Well, it's what I want."

"Hello, boys!" Wanda said as they approached their usual produce stand. The two men that worked there, Dolls and Doc, were some of the only people in the town who never treated them any differently. Probably because they were new comers to the town themselves. No one was really sure where they came from, but it was clear that farming seemed like a "boring" job to the both of them. They came around and did some work around the Aunt's house occasionally, becoming good friends with the Earps in the process.

It was a relief for Waverly to have people to talk to that weren't just her Aunts.

"Howdy, Earp's," Doc said tipping his hat to the three women. Doc acted like he was from a different time, not to mention a different place. It was something that they had always been curious about, but only received vague answers when asking questions. "What can I do for ya' today?"

Something caught Waverly's eye and glanced over towards the other side of the road. A boy, maybe a year or two older then her, was pushing a cart of apples, struggling to get it up the curb. He was handsome, dark hair and light eyes, strong jaw. He stopped pushing when he noticed Waverly's gaze and smiled brightly at her.

Waverly could feel her heart flip in her chest and she smiled back. They stood looking at each other for a moment before a man standing next to a truck yelled at him. "Hey, Champ! Get those apples over here. We don't have all day."

The boy...Champ apparently, reluctantly looked away from Waverly and continued to push the cart towards the truck. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

He looked back once more and waved at her, Waverly shyly waving back. The action did not go unseen by her Aunts. Wanda nudged Wahley and nodded towards the two of them, knowing smiles lighting up their lips.

Waverly shook off the butterflies in her stomach and turned back towards the stand, idly picking up fruit and handing it to Dolls to bag up. She may not have realized that she was humming as she did so, but her Aunts did.

***

The next morning, Waverly woke up pretending like she hadn't been thinking of Champ all night. Of his pretty, kind eyes or the way his smile was so...perfectly straight. She pretended she didn't think about what it would be like to run her hands through his hair and kiss him softly on the lips.

She sat out in the garden shoveling in the dirt to plant some seeds she had gotten from the market the day before. Wanda and Wahely sat up on the porch playing checkers, though only half paying attention. Wahley kept glancing over at her niece and whispered under her breath to Wanda. "When?"

"Any moment now," Wanda said casually as she jumped three of her sister's pieces.

Wahley puffed out her cheeks in frustration, "This isn't fair, I can't concentrate."

Waverly, all at once, felt something come over her. She felt a pull in her heart, the undeniable need to just...leave. She stood up, not thinking of anything other then Champ. She had to see him. She had to see him right at that moment. Where was he? She didn't know. Maybe he was in the same place she last saw him. That seemed the logical thing...that he would be in the town. Waverly kept walking, out of the yard and straight into town. 

Sure enough Champ was standing in almost the exact same spot, pushing a cart of apples up the street. It was as if he heard her as soon as she stepped on the street and he turned around. Their eyes met, smiles erupting on both of their faces as they began to walk towards each other. Waverly felt like her heart was going to burst in happiness. As her heart grew, so did her smile until she threw her arms around Champs neck and he lifted her from around the waist. Their lips smashed together and Waverly felt the thing she swore she...would never feel. She felt love.

***

Dear Wynonna, 

Today is our third anniversary and all I have to show for it is a husband I just can't stop kissing. I wish you could see us. No more stones being thrown, no taunts cried out. Everything is just so blissfully normal. Life is perfect. I can't wait to see you. I miss you more every single day.

Love,   
Waverly

***

Dear Waverly,

I'm laying in the sun. I have some friends that aren't completely batshit crazy. I guess you could say life is pretty perfect. But I don't care about any of it. I only have two words for you: Bobo Del Rey. Or is that three words? Technically. Whatever, doesn't matter.

Love,  
Wynonna

PS: Love ya!

***

Three years, four months, two weeks and a day. 

That's how long it took.

That's when Waverly heard the sound of the Death March Beetle.

She hadn't though about the Earp curse since she was a little girl. It was something that she vaguely played off as an old wives tail, but was still comforted by the spell she had performed when she had just moved in with her Aunts. It was a spell long forgotten, only the very edges of the memory would obscure her consciousness. 

It first made itself known in the middle of the night. She heard a chirping that woke her up. She stared at the ceiling, husband's arms still around her. It was in her imagination. She was sure. So she covered her head in a pillow and turned over, convinced sleep would make the noise go away.

But that morning, as soon as she heard the chirping of the beetle once more, all the tales came back. 

"No," Waverly said under her breath. She sat quietly and waited, heard almost stopped in anticipation as she listened again for the sound. Maybe it was the wind, or a bird...Champ wasn't even home. Champ was out delivering his apples so she had time. If she needed it. Which she didn't because it was all just a fairy tale. Right?

She listened carefully for the sound again and heard it echoing under the floorboards. "No no no no no," Waverly chanted to herself. She pressed her ear against the floor and heard the sound again. She felt herself fall into full panic mode. She grabbed Champ's toolkit and began to rip up the floors of their bedroom. 

Across in the town, Champ was pushing a load of boxes across the street. Just like he had every day for years. But this time it took him six seconds more to cross the street because a dog was following him. Distracting him.

Waverly had just made a hole big enough for her head and looked beneath the floorboards for the beetle. She spotted it, just out of reach. It's chirping only getting louder and louder.

And just as Waverly reached for it, fingers barely brushing it's body, she heard a loud crash nd scattered screams in the town. Later she would find out a truck turned a corner across town and hit Champ while he was pushing his cart across the street.

The beetle stopped chirping and scurried away from Waverly, tears streaking down her face and in her heart...she knew. She knew the curse was real and it had come for Champ.

***

Waverly had buried her husband. Her husband that she had loved dearly and was convinced she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Every time she closed her eyes, she could only hear the Death March Beetle and the crashing of the car.

She had yet to put her floorboards back down and frankly, didn't want to deal with it. It was too much to think about. She bundled herself up in a sweater and walked over to her Aunt's place. She knocked on the glass pane in the door, much like how she saw that woman all those years ago. Begging for help from her Aunts. She opened the door and began to shout to the seemingly empty house.

"It was the curse, wasn't it?" she asked thickly, "He died because I was so in love with him."

Aunt Wahley descended slowly from the stairs, eyes Waverly with a cautious grief. The way you look at an animal in suffering when you want to help it but know nothing can be done. "Oh my darling girl, we had no idea when we cast the spell-"

"Spell?" Waverly asked, her stomach twisting, "Spell? Oh no. Please tell me you didn't. Please tell me that my own flesh and blood didn't!"

"We were just giving you a push in the right direction," Wanda said as she emerged from the greenhouse, "You wanted so much to be happy. We didn't know you'd truly love him."

Waverly felt a new fresh wave of tears choke her, "Well, I did. And I want him back. You brought him into my life. You bring him back!" Waverly marched into the kitchen and over to the table that was always filled with talismans and crystals. The place where the spell book always rested. She began to flip frantically through the pages, tears falling more then ever. "I have never asked you for anything! I never asked for spells, but do this! You can bring him back."

"We can't," Wahley said softly. 

"We don't do that," Wanda clarified cautiously.

"You can, I know you can," Waverly said wiping tears with the back of her hand and she continued to flip through the book, "I saw it here. When Mamma and Daddy died. I know you can do it."

Wanda and Wahley exchanged looks. "Even if we did, it wouldn't be Champ. He wouldn't be the same. It'd be something dark and evil-"

"I don't care!" Waverly screamed, her body shaking with sobs, "I don't care how he comes back. I just want him back. Please." Waverly felt her knees give out, but Wanda was besides her in an instant and held her. She made sure she didn't fall to the floor and just...held her. Waverly sank into the comfort of her Aunt and just cried herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your responses, everyone! The next chapter WILL have Nicole in it. Just use that to get you through.

"Well, that's the last of it," Dolls said dropping off a box in the Aunt's garage labeled "Kitchen".  Waverly sat on the tire swing that had been tied to the old oak tree out front since she was a child.  Many times Wynonna would push her on the swing and talk about all the places she would go some day.

"Thanks for helping me move, guys," Waverly said to Dolls and Doc as they adjusted some boxes in the garage to better fit.  "I just...couldn't be in there a moment longer."

Dolls smiled over at her and shrugged, "It's no big deal.  Nice to be moving something other then fruit for once."  Aunt Wahley came down from the house with a tray of lemonade and some plates, smiling at the two men.

"I ain't gonna lie," Doc said tipping his hat back on his head, "I only did it for Aunt Wahley's famous lemonade and pound cake."  Wahley smiled and laughed flirtatiously as Doc took one of the glasses.

"Come on, boys, you know you don't need an excuse to come over for my lemonade."

"Waverly!" Wanda called from the porch, "Wynonna's on the phone for you."

The youngest Earp practically leapt from the swing and went into the house, leaving Doc and Dolls at the mercy of Aunt Wahley.  The phone sat off the hook on the kitchen counter and Waverly cradled it against her ear.

"Wy?"

"Hey, Waves," Wynonna drawled from the other end, "how are you doing?"  She chuckled awkwardly before rambling on.  "I realize that's kind of a shitty thing to ask when you're husband just...died."

Waverly shrugged, just taking comfort in the sound of her sister on the other line.  "I'm doing as well as I can in the situation I guess.  Doc and Dolls finished moving my stuff to the old garage this morning."

"Did they do it with their shirts off?"

"Wynonna!"

"Hey, I only ask the important questions."

"Well for your perverted information, no.  Though it wasn't for lack of trying on Aunt Wahley's part," Waverly said with a small chuckle.  

There was silence for a moment before Wynonna came back softer.  "But really.  How are you?"

Waverly sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter, "I was happy, Wy.  Really really happy.  We were going to open up a botanical shop where he'd get the ingredients and I'd make the stuff...He loved my blueberry oatmeal shaving cream.  He would always eat it which...I had to keep reminding him wasn't the purpose but...he loved it.  Anyways, I'm sure this is all boring to you.  But he made me laugh."  She thought for a moment on all the ways Champ would make her laugh.  They had been planning on the shop and getting a bigger house and...kids.  "Anyways, tell me about your guy.  What kind of name is Bobo?"

"Bulgarian."

"Bulgarian?"

"Well, that's what he said," Wynonna continued with a shrug in her voice, "He's from somewhere near Transylvania. He has this whole sexy Dracula-cowboy thing about him. He's just so intense. I mean, he talks about our relationship in terms of centuries. Sometimes we just stay up all night worshipping each other like bats. Thank god for Wanda's belladonna or I'd never get any sleep."

"Sounds dangerous," Waverly said playfully.

"Yes.  Just how I like 'em," Wynonna responded.

"Why are you using the belladonna?" Waverly asked, concerned.

"It's not for me, it's for Bobo.  I just give him a little bit sometimes.  Knock 'em out a little."

Waverly frowned, "Wait.  You're drugging your boyfriend to get a little shut eye?  Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

Wynonna hummed in thought.  "Maybe a little...he's so strong.  Stronger then me.  He would survive the curse."  Waverly felt a small pain in her chest and heard some rustling on the other end.  "Sorry," Wynonna said apologetically, "I..wasn't thinking."

Waverly shrugged before remembering that her sister couldn't even see.  "It's okay."

"Have you forgiven yourself yet?"

"No."

"You'll never forgive yourself unless you get up and you get dressed and brush your teeth, because your breath stinks," Wynonna teased, "Maybe go out."

Waverly chuckled, "Have you forgotten where I live?  Where would I go out to?"

"There's that bar I used to sneak off to at the edge of town," Wynonna said, "Shorty's."

"We'll see.  I love you, Wynonna."

"I love you too, baby girl," Wynonna said affectionately before they both hung up the phones.

***

"Witch!" a kid yelled as he rode by on his bike, friends laughing and encouraging him as they rode away.  Waverly rolled her eyes and continued stacking jars of her homemade remedies on the shelves of her botanical shop.  She had considered giving up on the shop after Champ died, but Wynonna and her Aunts convinced her to keep it.  It could only be good, she decided, since she needed something to keep her busy.

Doc put another box on the counter and frowned over at the boys as they rode past.  "So tell me, Ms. Earp," he said looking over at Waverly, "Do you ever consider just..."  He made a vague gesture with his finger like he was bewitching someone.

"Nope," Waverly said airily.  

"Never?" Doc asked in disbelief.

"No.  We only use our fingers for good," she said definitively, "We do not cast on people and we do not effect lives.  This isn't some...game."

Dolls sat up from the floor where he was tinkering with the sink in the corner of the shop.  "You have a hell of a lot more self control then I would," he said putting everything away, "Especially with a bunch of punk kids like that.  They could learn from their nose growing a few inches."

"And that's why you two aren't witches," Waverly said breaking down a box and putting it in a growing pile.

"There's a lot of things we're not for that very reason," Doc said somewhat under his breath, eyebrows raised mischievously.

Waverly gave Doc a look.  "You sure are a lot of talk for someone who decided to settle down in a sleepy seaside town."

"But it's a sleepy seaside town...with witches," he replied with a raise of his eyebrow.

Waverly made the conscious decision not to tell him that the witches never had a reason to use their magic.  And she planned on keeping it that way.

***

_Dear Wynonna,_

_Sometimes I just get so...lonely.  My heart feels so empty.  Not shattered or broken like you hear in all those country songs.  Just...empty.  Sometimes I swear if you held my heart to your ear you'd hear the ocean.  I just want so desperately to have a normal life and to be loved.  To be happy.  Actually, I've started to wonder if I've had all the happiness I'm going to have in my life and the rest of my life will just be...more of this.  I really miss you-_

The ringing of the phone distracted Waverly and she set down her pen.  Picking up the phone she answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Waves," Wynonna began, a slight shake in her voice, "I wouldn't say I'm scared or anything because, you know, not much scares me.  But I'm slightly concerned with my current situation and was wondering if you could um...if you could come get me.  Or whatever."

Wynonna spoke casually but Waverly knew better.  She knew by the slight waver in her sister's voice that something was seriously wrong.  "Wynonna what happened?  Where are you?"

"Oh, it's nothing crazy.  Bobo's just being a little weird," Wynonna forced a laugh.  I'm in Georgia."

"Okay I'm going to the airport now," Waverly said as she jogged out of her room and down the stairs.  She made sure she had her wallet in her jacket pocket as she walked into the kitchen where her Aunts were brewing who knew what, Wynonna still on the line with her.  "I'm leaving.  I'll be back in a couple of days."

Wanda looked concerned, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Waverly said, not wanting to alarm them, "I'm just going to get Wynonna and be back."

"Okay, but you're going to miss the Solstice Celebration," Wahley said.

Waverly rolled her eyes, "I wasn't quite looking forward to dancing naked under the moon anyways."

"No, of course not, dear. Nudity is entirely optional, as you well remember!"

"Bye!  I'll see you guys in a few," Waverly said kissing them on the cheeks and walking out the door.

***

Waverly checked the text that Wynonna had sent her before knocking on the motel door.  Before she was even done knocking, Wynonna had opened the door.  She had a slight smile on her face, but all Waverly could see was the bruise blossoming around her eye.  "Wow, the room service around here sucks."

She threw her arms around her older sister's next, squeezing her tightly.  It had been far too long since she'd seen her sister.  Far far too long.  "Did fucking Bobo do this to you?  I'm going to murder him," Waverly said holding Wynonna at arms length and looked at her sister.  Wynonna rolled her eyes and turned her head so that her bruise was hidden.  "Wy, how did this happen."

Wynonna looked back into the dark motel room and Waverly could see the vague outline of a large man sleeping on the bed.  The oldest Earp pulled her duffle bag through the door and closed it behind her.  "First off, I want to say I totally had this under control," Wynonna said as they walked to Waverly's car, "It's just...He's been really crazy, you know? We've been driving for 2 weeks straight. I mean, not even straight. In these zigzags, back and forth.  Worse then Aunt Wanda after a Solstice Celebration.  And then, get this, today I convinced him to stop for donuts.  Because Mama needs her donuts.  So he agrees and says he says he wants a jelly doughnut. An' he says to the kid, 'Jelly doughnut, with cream.' And the kid looked confused. And I said, 'Bobo, jelly's not a cream.' And then the kid laughed and I laughed and then he punched me. He punched me right in the fucking face. The bastard!  But it's okay because I punched him back.  But then it just got...out of hand and I may have passed out when he put me in a sleeper hold."

Waverly paused just for a moment where she considered going back and setting Bobo on fire in his sleep.  But Wynonna grabbed her arm and tugged her along.  They slid into the car, the brunette throwing her duffel in the back of the car.  "Oh fuck!" she said jumping back out of the car.

"Wynonna!" Waverly said grumbling in frustration, "Where are you going?  We have to go!"

"I left my jacket in his car!  And that's a damn good jacket," she replied running over to Bobo's car.  Waverly took a deep calming breath and got out of the car after her sister.  

"We have to go!  Just leave the jacket!" she said walking over to the car, "I'll fucking buy you a new-"

She stopped dead in her tracks, stomach dropping.  Bobo (or who she assumed as Bobo) had his arm around Wynonna's neck, knife at her jugular.  He smiled up at Waverly and nodded towards the front seat.  "Guess you're driving, huh?" 

Waverly practically growled, "Was your jacket really worth it?"

"Yes," Wynonna said defiantly.  

"If you're taking us kidnapped I'm at least getting the bag!" Waverly said, hands up and walking backwards towards the car.  She grabbed the duffle and quickly went back to Bobo's car, throwing the duffle in the passenger seat and sliding into the car.  Her heartbeat was going about a thousand miles a minute along with her brain.  She was trying to think of things that she could do to get out of this situation.  If Wynonna didn't need her stupid jacket...

"So, Waverly," Bobo said from the back seat, his arm still around Wynonna's neck possessively, "You ever read any books by Louis L'Amour?  No?  Okay, Louis L'Amour is a foreigner and he loved all things cowboy. Just like me.  So Louis would write stories about rustlers. Rustlers who were really bad guys."  He leaned forward, his face close to Waverly's face.  She could smell his breath, hot on her cheek.  He shoved a bottle of whiskey towards her.  "You want some?"

"No."

Bobo chuckled, "That's no way for a lady to talk.  You say, 'No, thank you.'  Now try again."

Waverly stayed silent, biting the inside of her cheek.  She felt the cold glass lip of the bottle pressed hard against her cheek and he repeated, closer to her ear, his voice low and dangerous.  "Try.  Again."

Her eyes flickered back to Wynonna, eyes full of anger and fear.  "No.  Thank you," she repeated as if the words burned her tongue.

"Thank you," Bobo said leaning back into the back seat.  "Now, the thing I always liked about cowboys and outlaws...was the branding."  At that point, Bobo had lifted his fist to show a big metal ring on his index finger.  There was a skull carved into the top of it that shone as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a lighter.  "See they had the right idea.  Brand your property and no one can steal it from you.  If it runs away, someone will bring it back."  He began to hold the flame of the lighter up to the ring as he continued to drunkenly ramble.

_"Waves."_

Waverly looked into the rearview mirror and saw Wynonna making direct eye contact with her.   _"Waves, the belladonna is in my bag."_  It was a trick they had perfected as children.  It wasn't necessarily telepathy, but they learned to speak magically to one another without actually talking.  It always drove the Aunts crazy, but at least now they could say it came in handy some day.  Waverly smiled slyly at Wynonna, letting her know that she had received her message, and looked back at the road.

She carefully reached into the bag next to her and grabbed the glass vial that she was sure had to have the potion in it.  In the back seat she saw Bobo grab Wynonna's arm and pin it between his body and his own arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked trying to pull away from him.  But Bobo just held tighter.

"Just hold still now," he said as he began to lower his now searing hot ring to the back of her hand.

"Hey," Waverly said realizing what was happening, "Hey!  What are you doing?"

Wynonna fought harder, kicking and trying to pull away in the tiny back seat while Waverly reached behind her and tried to hit Bobo to get him to stop.

"Watch the road!" he yelled.

"You!  Shut up!" Waverly said punching his leg.  The car swerved and barely avoided a car in the next lane.  "You stupid idiot!  Louis L'Amour by the way is not a foreigner! He's from Noth Dakota, you asshole!"

Bobo laughed in a way that made Waverly want to punch him all over again, but he put away the ring and shook his head.

"You're freaking me out, Dracula freak!" Waverly said as she kept looking back, trying to make sure he wouldn't continue whatever sick game he was playing at.  "Give me the bottle before I plow you into a truck just to get you to shut up!"

She reached back and practically ripped the bottle from Bobo's hand, taking a long swig.  The whiskey burned her throat but in her anger it didn't even phase her.  She set the bottle between her legs and uncapped the bottle of belladonna, dropping all of the contents in the bottle.  Waverly subtly circled her finger over the bottle, an easy spell and one of the first ones she had ever mastered.  The contents of the bottle swirled, mixing the belladonna in.  She handed the bottle back and waited for it to take effect.

***

"He should have passed out by now," Wynonna hissed to Waverly.  Bobo was standing about ten feet away from the car, pants undone as he sang drunkenly into the night.  He held the keys over his head mockingly and looked over at the girls.  
  
"I don't know why he hasn't," Waverly sighed.  
  
"I told you, he was strong.  You must not have used enough."  
  
"That's impossible.  I used the whole bottle."  
  
Bobo began to stumble back to the car.  He slid into the backseat, eyes only on Wynonna.  Waverly watched him carefully, not trusting the look in his eye or the way his hand wandered possessively up her sisters body.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her, "I just love you so much.  I want you to be mine forever."  
  
"Yeah, Bobo, well you're kinda fucking that up right now," Wynonna said slowly scooting away from him.  He noticed her slipping away and his hand went to her throat.  Waverly didn't even think, she just immediately turned in her seat and began hitting him.  Both of his hands circled Wynonna's neck, squeezing.  The vein in his neck bulged from anger and spit gathered in the corners of his mouth as he squeezed.  Wynonna's face began to turn blue as she pushed and scratched and tried to fight him off, each push becoming weaker then the last.  Waverly felt jolt of adrenaline flow through her and she pushed herself out of her seat, launched herself at the man and tackled him from the side.  He was thrown off for a moment as both sisters pushed and clawed at him, Waverly's arm around his beefy neck as she tried to pull him off.  
  
She felt him collapse slightly and Wynonna gasped for breath, coughing and sputtering as she tried to speak.  "Stop, stop!" she said grabbing Waverly's still flailing arms.  "He's stopped.  He's stopped moving."  Wynonna coughed as Waverly climbed off of Bobo.  He was pushed off of Wynonna and he flopped to the floor of the car with a dull thud.  
  
"Wha-...is he...-" Waverly took one look at Bobo's lifeless face, eyes gazing up towards the ceiling and she knew.  "Oh god, he's dead."  
  
"Fuck!" Wynonna said with her first good breath.  "Fuck!  What the hell was that?  He's dead?  How much of that stuff did you give him?"  
  
"I wasn't using a measuring spoon.  He was trying to kill you!" Waverly said beginning to panic, "We killed him.  We should just go to the police now.  It was self defense."  
  
"I've been slowly poisoning him with that belladonna for weeks.  That doesn't look like self defense," Wynonna said with a shake of her head.  "I'm for sure going to jail for this."  
  
"We both are, Wynonna!" Waverly said getting out of the car to get away from the dead body.  "I was just starting to get my life back to normal!"  
  
Wynonna got out after Waverly and dropped her hands to her sides.  "I know!  Okay?  I'm sorry!  I screwed up.  I've always been the screwup!  I ruined your life!"  
  
"I can't lose everything," Waverly said leaning against the car.  
  
Wynonna crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.  "You're not going to.  I won't let you."  She looked off in the distance for a moment. licking her lips in thought.  
  
"What are you thinking?"   
  
"When Champ died, you asked the Aunts to bring him back..." Wynonna trailed of thoughtfully.  
  
Waverly shook her head.  "Yeah, but they wouldn't.  
  
"Wouldn't, not couldn't," Wynonna said with a triumphant smile.    
  
Scoffing, Waverly quickly brushed off her sisters idea.  "No.  They were right.  He would come back as something dark and unnatural."  
  
"He was already dark and unnatural!  Plus I don't care, I just want him to come back.  You can't be charged with murder if there's no body."  
  
Waverly sat silent for a moment, weighing the options in her mind.  Bobo was, clearly, a horrible person who deserved to die.  But being convicted of murdering him wouldn't come with a ticker tape parade.  She would be villianized and seen as the crazy sister who finally snapped and killed her sister's boyfriend.  
  
"Let's just...get in the car and finish driving home," Waverly said walking to the other side of the car and getting in the driver's seat.  
  
A slow smile bloomed on Wynonna's face and she hopped a little in excitement as she got in the passenger's side.  "That wasn't a no!"  
  
"Just get in, Wynonna!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Wayhaught time!!!! Four chapters in and Nicole is finally here. Bless. Thank you everyone for all your kind comments, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

"You owe me big time for this, Wynonna," Waverly grunted as they dragged Bobo's body into the house. They didn't bother paying attention to what he bumped or dragged along the way. They could pretend disrespect from the dead wasn't even a thing since he'd be alive again soon enough anyways.

"I owe you so big. So so big. I'm going to set you up on so many dates," Wynonna wheezed, out of breath as they pulled him up the front steps and into the kitchen that, in reality, was just the makeshift magic room.

They managed to get him on the table, both panting as Waverly held up a finger to Wynonna. "You prepare this creep, I'm going to go get the spell book."

Wynonna nodded as Waverly went into the other room to retrieve the book. When she came back, Wynonna was slapping Bobo's face and muttering incoherent things at him. "What are you doing?"

The older sister jumped and shrugged it off, "Nothing."

Waverly rolled her eyes and opened the book to the correct page. "Alright. Let's get this over with. Are you sure?"

Wynonna thought for a moment before nodding, "I'm positive."

They joined hands over the corpse's chest, both reading from the book as they did so. "Lips pursed, emit wind over tongue in motion, teeth on edge." They nodded and looked over at the spell book again. 

"Alright, touch bonded blue sage to heart and organs," Waverly said quietly as she did so, "and insert needles through the eyes of the corpse."

She picked up the long needle and slowly edged it towards Bobo's face. Wynonna, face wrinkled with disgust, gingerly lifted one of his eye lids. Waverly felt her gag reflex act up and jumped away from the corpse. "Ew!! Gross."

Wynonna made an exaggerated gagging sound and shivered dramatically. "Maybe we should wait for the Aunts."

"He's not going to get any fresher!" Waverly said, "Let's just...do it. Get me something white to write on him with." With a renewed sense of purpose, Wavlery stood her ground in front of the body and tried to prepare herself. She was going to do it. It's fine. It was all fine. Wynonna came back and handed her a can of whipped cream. Waverly gave her a look.

"It's all I could find," she said with a shrug. 

"Well, you still have some in the corner of your mouth. But this is good."

Wynonna wiped away the evidence of her snacking as Waverly began to make a pentagram on Bobo's chest with the whipped cream.

_"Black is night, erase death from my sight._

__

__

_White as light, my chant can make it right."_

The sisters started slowly, getting used to the chant. Slowly, they got louder and louder, more unison in their chanting. Waverly felt tingling going through her entire body, like an electric current escaping through her fingers. Making eye contact with Wynonna, she knew she could feel it too. Her heart began to beat faster, blood rushing and she couldn't help but smile. She had avoided magic for so long she forgot what it was like to not only perform a spell but perform it with her sister. It was...a rush. 

It felt as if the wind was picking up around them despite them being indoors. There was a loud clap of lightening outside and both girls jumped apart. They looked down at Bobo and saw his eyes wide open, looking up at the ceiling. The whites of his eyes were an unnatural yellow color, bloodshot and empty looking. 

"It worked," Wynonna whispered leaning forward to get a better look, "I think."

Suddenly Bobo's hand jutted out and grabbed Wynonna by the throat. "You're mine. I want you to be my wife," Bobo began to chant, a craziness in his eyes that wasn't there before. Wynonna began to claw at his hand as it squeezed at her throat. 

"Get. Off. My. Sister!" Waverly said as she punched him in the face. He had an unnatural strength he didn't have while he was alive and Waverly decided to switch up tactics. She took the heavy spell book and smacked him in the head with it. He still insisted on holding on to Wynonna and Waverly used all her strength to lift the heavy book over her head and smashed it into Bobo's skull. There was a sickening crack and his hold on Wynonna's neck finally loosened. 

Wynonna sputtered and coughed, pushing his hands off of her neck. She rubbed her neck and looked up at Waverly. "Is he dead? Again?"

Waverly looked at his lifeless body, hands hanging limply. She didn't have the nerve to pick up the book at the moment but nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Well, now you can never say you didn't use magic to kill someone," Wynonna said hoarsely, pointing at the book. 

Waverly rolled her eyes, "Now is not the time for jokes."

"Oh come on, baby girl, since when have you known me to make jokes at appropriate times." Wynonna peeked under the book at Bobo and quickly put it back. "Well, I just got choked twice in a day. Usually I wouldn't complain but a little foreplay would be nice. Can't just jump into that kinda thing."

Waverly glared at her but decided to ignore the comment. "So. What now?"

Wynonna pulled her bottom lip between her teeth in thought before looking over at the Aunts garden. 

***

"Two shots, make mine a double," Wynonna said as she sidled up to the bar like she had never left town. Waverly followed behind, tying to ignore the stares in their direction. No matter where they went, the Earps always drew attention. Let alone when it was two sisters together. The bar tender said nothing, just got their drinks and slid them over to Wynonna. Handing one to Waverly, she held her own up for a toast. 

"To the Earp sisters. Back together again," Wynonna said. Waverly clinked her glass reluctantly with Wynonna's and took the shot, coughing as it went down. Wynonna acted like her double was nothing but water and gestured for another. 

"Well lookey here," Doc drawled as he slid onto the seat besides Wynonna. "If it weren't the Earp sisters. Long time no see, Wynonna, welcome back to Shortys."

"How long has it been?" Wynonna said with a flirtatious smirk. 

"Champ's funeral," Dolls said. At some point he had slid onto the seat next to Doc. "How's your boyfriend, Wynonna?"

She just shrugged and took her second shot. "I cut him. He was just dead weight."

Waverly kicked her from her stool and Wynonna shot her an innocent look. Doc noticed Wynonna's black eye at this point and looked only slightly alarmed, much to his credit. "If that's what you look like, what does the other guy look like?"

"Dead," Wynonna said with a smile and a wink. Waverly aimed to kick her again, but her sister dodged it expertly. 

Waverly waved down the bartender for another shot. It was going to be a long night. She noticed the dirt under her finger nails and began to pick at it. Wynonna's hand covered hers to make her stop, eyes wide. 

"You're being super obvious right now," she hissed. 

"Says the girl who was making death puns just two seconds ago!"

"Those were fucking great puns!" She defended with a sigh. "But stop being gross. You have a hottie looking at you right now." She pointed her chin across the bar. 

Waverly frowned and glanced in the direction her sister pointed. She made eye contact with a tall red headed woman who was seated across the bar, nursing her own drink. She offered a small smile to Waverly and she was pretty sure her heart squeezed in her chest. In a not entirely unpleasant way. She realized that she was just gaping at the red head and offered a small strained smile before looking away. 

"You should go say hi," Wynonna nudged. 

"Or not," Waverly said with a shrug, making sure Dolls and Doc weren't listening, "Forgive me but burying your asshole boyfriend doesn't really put me in the mood."

Wynonna looked at her a moment and lowered her voice. "Waves. I love you, but I'm pretty sure that's not the reason you refuse to even consider dating anymore."

She looked down at the empty glass in her hands and wished that she he'd a couple of more in her for what this conversation was turning out to be. "I just miss him," she said quietly. 

"I get it," Wynonna said sympathetically. Somehow another shot was pushed in front of Waverly and she took it gratefully. "But it's been a year. I'm not saying you have to jump right in with someone new. I'm just saying you should maybe start slowly dipping a toe into the dating pool."

Waverly shrugged and used her swirling spell on the shot, just to watch the contents move. "You're probably right," Waverly admitted, "I just-...It's hard. Not to think of him. I don't know if I could not think of him long enough to even try dating someone else."

"Well you know what that means?" Wynonna said, "You just need to find someone who makes you stop thinking of him. So you don't have to do it yourself."

"She's not even-" Waverly glanced over at the woman again, "She's a...she's not a boy."

"So," Wynonna said with a shrug, "you've never been one to discriminate."

The younger Earp gasped in scandal. "What are you talking about?"

"Claire Mitchell. Sophomore year. You had a huuuuuuge gay crush on her," Wynonna said wriggling her eyebrows at her sister.

Waverly blushed. "I did not."

"You wrote her a poem," Wynonna said matter-of-factly, "And then you wouldn't talk to me for a week when you found out I made out with her."

"I still can't believe you did that," Waverly said taking the shot. It warmed her belly and she felt it go to her head almost immediately.

"If the cheerleading captain wants to experiment with you, you don't say no."

"You're the worst," she said.

"No, I'm the best. Ask me why."

"Why?"

"I sent a drink over to that ginger and told the bar tender to say it was from you," Wynonna said with a bright smile, just as she stood to move on the other side of Dolls.

"Wy-!"

"Hey," came a voice from behind her.

Waverly sat frozen for a moment, stomach fluttering as she slowly turned the chair. "Hey." As she looked up at the other woman. Wow, she was even prettier up close. 

"I'm Nicole," she said holding out her hand. Waverly took it and ignored the way her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest.

"Waverly. I'm Waverly," she said as she tucked both of her hands under her legs. 

Nicole smiled widely and Waverly couldn't help but blush. "Nice to meet you, Waverly."

There was a pause of silence before Waverly spoke up again. "You're...not from around here are you?"

"I'm not," Nicole said taking a seat on the stool, "What tipped you off?"

"There's not often a new face in this town," Waverly began, "I could tell you the name of every person in this bar along with who their parents are and what they do for a living. Also, not many people bother talking to my family."

"Why's that?" Nicole asked with a curious cocking of her head.

Waverly regretted her word vomit immediately, "You know, small town thing. Anyways, why have you come to our wonderful little town?" 

Nicole smiled, clear she didn't miss the sarcasm in Waverly's voice. "Just kinda...passing through."

"Well, welcome," she said, "There's not much to see or do but. It's a town."

Two drinks appeared next to them and Waverly looked up at Nicole curiously. The red head shook her head with a small frown and Waverly looked back at Wynonna who winked at her. She sighed and turned back around. "I'm going to kill her."

"Is that...a friend, or-?"

"Sister. She's my sister. Though often I don't claim her as so."

Nicole chuckled and nodded as she took one of the drinks. "Well, I'd hate to let a good drink go to waste. Especially when you've got a pretty girl to drink it with."

Waverly paused, her brain registering what she said for a moment before giggling awkwardly. She took the other drink in her hand and felt her brain short circuit. Her brain felt blank, completely unsure of what to say or even if she still had the ability to speak. This (beautiful) woman was flirting with her and, to be frank, no one had flirted with her since Champ. Unless you counted that one weird guy at the gas station a few months ago...

A million thoughts were running through her brain all at once. Like, how do you flirt? Did she even...want to flirt with this girl? She was really pretty. And it was just flirting. Flirting couldn't hurt. Her thoughts were moving so quickly through her mind that she didn't notice how her drink was bubbling and swirling up in her glass until -

"What the-!"

Waverly's glass burst, contents splattering over her but...mostly on Nicole. She gaped at the other woman for a moment who looked just as shell shocked. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Waverly said taking the tiny bar napkin from under her drink and dabbing it on Nicole's chest. "I'm so sorry."

Nicole shook her head with a shocked but still amused expression. "No no, it's fine. It wasn't you...how did that even happen?"

The Earp blinked up at the taller woman, at a loss for words. "I...don't know."

_Ding ding_

Nicole broke her stare on Waverly to dig her phone out of her pocket. She glanced at it and stood up from the stool. "I, unfortunately, have to go," she said sympathetically, "But maybe I'll see you around, Waverly. I owe you a drink after yours...exploded. What about tomorrow night?"

"I-I would love-...like to but I can't. I'm married. Was married...I'm not anymore because he's...dead. But I also have plans tomorrow night. I'm a planner," she prattled on, trying not to focus on a drop of alcohol that was moving over Nicole's collarbone.

"Oh," Nicole said with a slow nod, "Okay. Well...maybe...another day." She said, still smiling. I'll see you around, Waverly."

She backed up towards the door, eyes still on Waverly before she finally turned around and walked out the door. 

"This is why Claire wouldn't make out with you," Wynonna said slipping back into her old seat.

"I hate you," Waverly sighed.

"I love you too."

***

"You put the liiiime in da coconut and mix it aaaall up. You put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up..." Wynonna slurred as they walked up to the house.

"I don't think that's how the words go," Waverly said with a giggle. She may not be as three sheets to the wind as her sister, but she still felt the alcohol clouding her brain.

"It doesn't matter how the words go," the dark haired woman insisted, "Nerd."

They both snorted in laughter as they practically tumbled into the house. "Wait. Sh, shh," Waverly said, putting a sloppy finger on her sisters lips. She heard some distant snickering and tugged Wynonna into the kitchen. Both Aunts were sitting at the table, glasses in their hands and a bottle of liquor between them. As they approached the table, the Aunts finally noticed them and threw their hands up in surprise when they saw Wynonna.

"The prodigal daughter returns!" Aunt Wahley said as Wynonna fell into her arms, "I missed you so much."

Wynonna hugged Aunt Wanda next as they drunkenly asked her questions. 

“How are you?”

“Where have you been?”

“Where’s that boyfriend of yours? You done slutting it around yet?”

The last question caught the younger sisters off guard. Waverly squinted through the alcohol while the Aunt’s cackled and laughed like what they said had been completely normal and not cruel at all.

“And what about you?” Wanda asked pointing at Waverly, “Have you decided to stop being a frigid hag?”

Wynonna looked at Waverly, both confused. Waverly looked at the bottle on the table and felt her stomach drop. She pointed out the label to Wynonna. The same bottle that Bobo had shoved in their faces on the long ride. The bottle that she was positive txt she had buried with him.

“Where did you get that?” Wynonna asked them cautiously.

“It was o-on the p-porch!” Wahley managed through her laughter. Waverly, without thinking, grabbed the bottle and smashed it in the sink. The Aunts sat, shell shocked, suddenly sober. 

“What was that?” Wanda asked seriously, “What was in that bottle?”

Waverly looked over at Wynonna who shook her head as subtly as she could. “We…it was nothing.”

The Aunts looked at each other and back at the girls. “We deserve an explanation.”

“It’s fine,” Waverly said crossing her arms in front of her chest, “We had a problem and…we handled it.”

The last thing that Waverly wanted to do was get her Aunts involved in this whole situation. It was bad enough that her and Wynonna had, essentially…definitely committed murder. If she so much as told her Aunts anything that had happened, they would be involved too. This way, at least they could say beyond a doubt that they knew nothing.

“Just…don't worry about it,” Wynonna said with all the authority she could muster. 

“I hope you girls know what you're doing,” Wanda said with a shake of her head. The two Aunts, still acting a little tipsy, labored up the stairs and Waverly breathed a sigh of relief. 

“How did that bottle get here?” Wynonna asked. 

“I have no idea,” she admitted, “It must…must have been a weird fluke.”

“Yeah, fluke,” Wynonna said, voice spacey. “Let's just…go to bed.”

***

“Waverly!”

She awoke with a start, head pounding. Right. That's why she didn't drink anymore. 

“Waverly! Get your ass down here!” 

“Coming!” she responded angrily. She swung her legs out of the bed and padded down the stairs. Wynonna was standing in the front lawn, right where they had buried Bobo the night before. Walking up to her sister, she saw what she was looking at. The tips of Bobo's boots poked out of the dirt. 

“Shit,” she said under her breath.

“He’s coming for me,” Wynona said, “First the booze bottle and now this? How is this even possible? And these roses just…appeared over night?!” She slapped the rose bust that had bloomed some time in the night and let out some sort of frustrated sigh. “I’m too hung over for this.”

Wavily ran a hand through her hair and took a calming breath. Wynona was freaking out and for good reason. Just then the boots sank back into the dirt, effectively covered once !more.

“What the fuck?” Wynonna screamed, eyes wide. “What the fuck was that?”

She began to rant and rave and Waverly put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Wynonna. You’re too hung over for this magic bullshit and I’m too hung over for your freaking out. So…go inside. Get some coffee and I’ll deal with this. “Okay?”

Wynona rubbed her eyes and nodded. “Okay. Fine.” She began to walk towards the house. “But let the record show, I fought very hard against this.”

“Yep, sure,” Waverly said picking up a pair of clippers next to the porch. She swung the tool in her hand and immediately began hacking away at the roses. She chopped at every bud and vine that she could reach, silently cursing Bobo under her breath. Soon she was on her knees, trying to get at the roots of the plants as she chopped away wildly. 

"Little early for roses, isn't it?"

Waverly jumped, startle by the voice and whipped around. The girl from the night before, Nicole, was standing at the entrance to the yard. Waverly smiled at her automatically but then immediately began to wonder what she was doing here.

"Hey," Waverly said cautiously. Sure there was a (large) part of her that was thrilled to see Nicole but...she didn't need to know that. "So are you a stalker? Should I be worried?"

Nicole paused for a moment before shaking her head and smiling kindly. "No, sorry I didn't...When I'm not off duty and hanging around bars...I'm a special investigator. Officer Haught," she pulled out her badge, silver star nestled into a black wallet and Waverly stood up. The badge was from Arizona. "I'm looking for someone name Bobo Del Rey."

"Oh," she said with an uncomfortable smile, "Officer Haught then. You're a long way from home."

"I was hoping to talk to your sister. Wynonna?" Nicole said putting her badge back in her pocket, "Is she around?"

Waverly swallowed nervously and brushed some rose leaves from her pants. Everything was telling her to lie. There was a nagging in her head and the words, 'She's not here' were right on her tongue. But there was something in her gut, something that almost burned and she couldn't bring herself to lie. 

"Yeah, um...I'll go see if she's around." She turned around and tried to calm down the beating of her heart that had started the moment she laid eyes on Nicole. It was dumb, really...but she also couldn't help but notice how nice she looked in that button up and blazer. Not that she hadn't looked good the night before in her casual clothes but...she shook the thoughts from her head and walked into the house. She chanced another look back and saw the red head kneeling down, examining the cut roses and standing right over where Bobo was buried. Waverly's heart began to beat quickly for another reason entirely.

"Why don't you come in?" she asked maybe a little too quickly. Nicole looked up at her quizzically but nodded, standing up and following Waverly into the house. She led her to the kitchen and told her to take a seat before she left and practically sprinted up to Wynonna's room.

Wynona was sitting on the floor, coffee cradled between both of her hands and a half eaten donut on a plate in front of her. "Where'd you get that donut?"

Wynonna didn't answer, just waved her finger in the air with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Waverly rolled her eyes. Her sister would conjure donuts. "Okay, well, I think I'm having a heart attack."

"The Aunts are gone," Wynonna said with a shrug, "Why are you having a heart attack?"

"They're gone?!" Waverly said in a panicked whisper, "Since when?"

"They must have left last night. They just left a note saying we had to learn this lesson ourselves."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no clue."

"Well, there's a special detective here looking for Bobo and he wants to talk to you and that's why I'm having a heart attack," Waverly said as she began to pace.

Wynonna stood up and grabbed Waverly's shoulders. "It's fine. It's fine, we'll take care of this."

Waverly took a deep breath and nodded. "One more thing. It's the girl from the bar last night."

"The one that had a thing for you?"

"I wouldn't say...a thing..."

"It should be extra easy to get rid of her then," Wynonna said brushing some sugar from the corner of her mouth, "Unless she has a thing for dating people in jail."

Waverly pushed her sister and placed her hands on her own hips nervously. "I know this is going to sound crazy but...I don't think I can lie to her."

"What?" Wynonna said in disbelief, "No, no, Waves. We have to have a plan. A story. We'll tell her that...that he hit me and we haven't seen him sense. Which isn't entirely a lie. I don't care if you think she's super sexy and you want to jump her bones. Just stick to the story."

The youngest Earp nodded and repeated what her sister had said under her breath. She was too stressed to chastise Wynonna on the 'jump her bones' comment, so she began back down the stairs. Nicole was wandering in the greenhouse, picking up jars of plants and examining them closely.

"Just herbs," Waverly said trying to play it cool. She leaned against the doorframe but almost fell over as soon as Nicole looked up at her with those big brown eyes. "You know, from the garden. So what bring "

Nicole nodded and put the jar down. She reached into the pocket of her blazer and brought out an opened letter. Waverly recognized it right away and reached for it, but Nicole kept it just out of reach. "This."

"You read my letter?" Waverly asked breathily.

"Yes, ma'am, I did," Nicole said tucking it back into her jacket pocket.

"That was a very personal letter."

"Yes, ma'am, it was."

Waverly blinked at her and for a moment they just looked at each other. There was something about Nicole's demeanor that confused Waverly. Somehow they had also ended up standing close to each other. "Sorry you just seem..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Wynonna had appeared on the stairs and was smiling over at Nicole. "Hello, Officer," she said, "I heard you were looking for me."

Wavevrly stepped back from Nicole and she hit her head on the cabinet. She cursed under her breath and her eyes watered in pain, but she tried to look as unphased as possible. Nicole gave her a concerned look but continued talking to Wynonna.

"Yeah, um...listen, I'm not going to bother beating around the bush," Nicole said leaning against the island in the kitchen. Wynonna leaned on the opposite side. "I'm looking for your boyfriend. Bobo Del Rey."

Wynonna shrugged and leaned forward on her elbows. "I have no idea where he is. And I definitely wouldn't call him my boyfriend. More like a big mistake."

Waverly tried to busy herself, going into the cabinet to get mugs and make coffee. Really, if felt like her heart was pounding out of her chest. 

Nicole examined Wynonna's face closely for a moment before nodding at her black eye. "Is that his handiwork there?"

"Yeah. But don't worry, Officer Haught, if a man hits me, he only does it once. Can I...just see...?" She picked up Nicole's hand and began to examine the palm.

Waverly watched Wynonna closely, ignoring the small flame of jealousy that had begun as soon as Wynonna began to flirt with Nicole. It was dumb, she knew that, but it still didn't keep the feeling down.

Nicole looked at the dark haired Earp dubiously but let her trace the lines on her hand. "I can tell that you have never hit a person out of anger," she said.

"Can I have my hand back?" Nicole asked. As soon as Wynonna had released her hand, Nicole began writing in a little notebook. "So you're telling me you haven't seen your Bobo?"

"He hit me and I haven't seen him since."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Three days ago."

"Three days ago," Nicole nodded, "Okay. Hey, Waverly?"

"Hm?" Waverly responded almost immediately, her hand knocking a glass out of the cabinet. She felt it shatter and a small stinging but ignored it.

"Who's car is that in the driveway? With the Arizona plate?" Nicole asked as she slowly got closer to Waverly.

"Oh, it's my car," she responded nervously. She tried to look casual and put an awkward hand on her hip.

"Your car? Plate number 229MLB?" Nicole asked reading something from her notebook. Waverly just nodded. "That's Bobo Del Rey's car." Waverly felt her palms sweating but she tried to keep her face neutral. "Come on now."

"We stole it!" Waverly spit out, "And it's a crime. I know this. But he basically kidnapped her!"

Nicole looked alarmed. "Wait wait, he kidnapped you?"

"No, no, not really. I mean...he a little-napped her. It was a little-nap," Waverly said, backtracking quickly. She began to talk quickly. The nerves evident as she prattled on. "There was a car and she- what happened- I just-..." She laughed nervously and pointed towards Wynona. "She has the worst taste in men. You do. And I went and picked her up and we took his car. And I would be so glad to give him back his car. Because it's a crime. As you say, you just don't know where he is."

As Waverly was rambling on, Nicole had continued to get closer and closer until she was barely a foot away. Waverly could feel her heart beating faster with each little step Nicole took. Nicole reached into her pocket and brought out some sort of handkerchief. "You got a little something..." She dabbed at the cut along Waverly's collarbone that must have happened when she dropped the glass. The soft materiel on her skin made her shiver, goosebumps erupting on her skin. As soon as the feeling was there, it was gone and Waverly opened her eyes, wondering when exactly she had closed them.

"Basically, nobody knows where he is?" Nicole asked again.

Waverly shook her head. Nicole sighed and nodded, turning and walking towards the kitchen table.

"What is wrong with you??" Wynonna mouthed angrily at her sister.

"I don't know!" Waverly responded just as angrily. She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath, staying behind as the other Earp followed Nicole to the table. She needed to get herself together. She wandered over to the table and sat down just as Nicole was placing pictures on the table top.

"This young ladies name was Phoebe Stone. She was found strangled, her body marked with a kind of brand...Any help you ladies could give me in finding this ex-friend of yours would be much appreciated."

The Earp sisters looked at each other warily, but shook their heads. "We'll let you know if he tries to contact Wynonna," Waverly said looking at the picture of the brand that was on the girl's skin. It was just like the large hideous ring that Bobo had tried to use on Wynonna.

"I need to take that car into evidence," Officer Haught said as she stood up from the table, "I'll see you girls around." Waverly just nodded and watched as she walked out of the house. She let out a long breath she didn't realize she was holding and slumped against the table. 

"Hopefully that was the end of it," she said into the table.

Wynonna shook her head with a sigh. "This is only the beginning, baby girl."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some Wayhaught action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for sticking with me through this, those of you who are reading. This chapter will have the Wayhaught goodness you've been waiting for. I've also gotten to the point where I think I'm going to expand on the movie to get more Wayhaught moments in there.

Over the next week, Waverly tried to continue with her life as normally as possible. There hadn't been anymore incidents of Bobo's boots rising up through the dirt. The roses seemed to grow back by the next day, despite all of her effort to destroy the bush. But that was the least of her worries. It seemed like every time she turned around or turned a corner, Nicole was there talking to another person. And the way that Nicole would look at her really made Waverly think it was about her.

One day she walked into her shop and, of course, Nicole was there talking to Dolls. Doc was pretending not to listen, restocking things in the corner. Nicole smiled a hello to Waverly as Dolls trailed off. She finished writing...whatever it was she was writing, down in her notebook and put it in her pocket.

Waverly went behind the counter and began to organize things as Nicole checked out with Dolls. She looked over at the red head from the corner of her eye and saw the Officer looking back at her. She blushed and fumbled with the pen she was picking up but pretended like it didn't happen. Nicole turned to leave the store and Waverly watched her leave, disappearing out of sight of the store. 

"What was she asking you?" Waverly asked Dolls. 

Dolls and Doc looked at each other and then shrugged. "Just asking about you. What you're reputation is and stuff like that."

"Are you in some kinda trouble, Waverly?" Doc asked seriously.

She continued to write down a couple of things she needed to restock, trying not to appear too worried. "Nope. Just...normal every day witch things I guess."

She continued writing for a moment before her curiosity got the best of her and she followed after Nicole.

"Hey!" she shouted at Nicole's retreating back. She turned around and Waverly felt something catch in her throat. The sun was reflecting off of her hair in just the right way and...goddamn it. "Am I under investigation or something?"

"Should you be?" Nicole asked with a small smile. Waverly ignored the butterflies in her stomach and continued, trying to keep up her brave facade.

"If there's something you want to know, just ask me," she said folding her arms in front of her chest.

"I already did. And all I have to say about that is that there seems to be something missing from your story. I want to talk to you some more but I have some things to finish up," Nicole said examining the brunette. "So what do you say I come by your place tomorrow morning. Around breakfast time?"

Waverly was a little taken back, but sputtered out a response. "Fine."

"Ten?"

"Fine."

"Fine. It's a date," Nicole's smile only grew wider as she turned around and continued on her way. Waverly stood shell shocked. Her brain short circuited for a second and she wondered if she heard Nicole right. 

_Date._

It was just a word...a word that could be used for a multitude of different things. It didn't necessarily mean a...date date. Right? Right.

***

"Waverly!"

"Oof! What the hell, Wynonna?" Waverly was startled awake when her sister threw herself on her bed. She had a look in her eye like she found some sort of treasure. She held up a journal that Waverly barely recognized in her still half asleep state. "What's that?"

"It's yours! I found it in the attic," Wynonna said as she rearranged herself on the bed so she was on her stomach next to her sister, "I found it with Doc and Dolls."

"Oh, that's nice," she said, "good to know you're reading my journal with your friends. While drinking, it smells like."

Wynonna shrugged and turned to the page she was looking for. "Remember this spell you did when we were little? So that you wouldn't fall in love?"

"Barely," Waverly said turning away from Wynonna and trying to fall back asleep.

"Champ didn't have any of these qualities," Wynonna said moving so that the top half of her body was on top of her sisters. "Look at this. 'Flip a pancake in the air twice'...Champ could barely cook."

Waverly gave up on trying to go back to sleep and lifted herself up on her elbows. "It was just a silly spell that I made up when I was eight. I doubt there was any weight in it. Plus the whole point of it was that that person does not exist."

"I guess..." Wynonna said, "Can ride a pony backwards...has one hazel eye one brown...favorite shape is a star...Doesn't seem too impossible to me."

The brunette flopped back down on the bed and kicked lazily at Wynonna. "Then you go find 'em. I just want to sleep."

"Fine! Party pooper," Wynonna said kissing Waverly's forehead and getting out of the bed, "See you in the morning. Doc and Dolls are helping me whip up a potion."

"What?" Waverly asked, mildly concerned through her fatigue.

"Nothing! Night!" Wynonna said as she closed the door. Wynonna was always getting herself into trouble, but Waverly figured this could wait until the morning to fix.

***

If anyone asked, Waverly wouldn't admit that she had spend an extra half hour getting dressed that morning. She definitely would never admit that to Wynonna. Who, for some reason, had been holed up in the attic with Doc and Dolls when she came down that morning. 

Waverly began making breakfast and assumed that Dolls and Doc were here to stay since they didn't seem keen on leaving the attic anytime soon. There was a knock at the door and she calmly wiped her hands on a towel and definitely did not check her reflection in the mirror by the door. 

"Hey," she said to Nicole as she opened the door. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest when she laid eyes on the other woman. Her short red hair tucked neatly behind an ear and just looking so...her.

"Hello, Ms. Earp," she said with a nod of her head, "Hope you've had a good morning."

"I can't complain," Waverly said stepping aside to let Nicole in. "Go ahead and take a look around like I know you want to. Just don't go in the murder weapon room." Nicole gave her a look of surprise and slight horror while Waverly just laughed. "I'm...I'm kidding."

"Of course," the officer said with a smile, "You just never know. Even the pretty ones can be crazy."

Waverly felt herself blush and giggled a little too enthusiastically. She cleared her throat and looked away, swinging her arms awkwardly by her sides. It'd been...quite some time since someone had flirted with her. If it was to be assumed that Nicole was flirting. But she was also investigating her for murder so...

"Caaan I look in your green house?" Nicole asked pointing towards the room. 

"Oh, yeah, sure," Waverly said walking back over to the kitchen counter where she was mixing together pancake batter. The blush was still apparent on her cheeks as she tried to ignore the red heads presence. She always turned into such a fool around her. She got tongue tied, she wasn't able to lie in the slightest for some reason. All she wanted to do was spill all of her secrets to her.

There was something always drawing her to Nicole. Like an invisible tether. She found herself slowly abandoning her cooking and wandering towards the green house. Nicole was examining the belladonna plant when she leaned against the door frame.

"Belladonna. It's a sedative," Nicole explained to her, "Some people put it in their tea to calm their nerves."

Nicole nodded for a moment before looking over at Waverly, "Some people use it as a poison."

"Which people?" she asked with a small frown.

Nicole chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, as if debating something, before answering. "Witches."

"Witch people?" Waverly said with an amused smile, "Ah, I see you found me out."

"I did," Nicole said slowly wandering closer to the smaller woman.

"You should come here around Halloween. We all jump off the roof and fly," Nicole said playing with the edge of her shirt, "We kill our husbands too. Or is that outside your jurisdiction?"

Nicole looked at her for a moment. A small smile played on her lips and she chuckled. "Do you have any idea how crazy this all sounds? I have people telling me you're cursed and cooking up placenta bars for Devil worship."

"No, there's no devil in the craft," Waverly said, very serious in her tone. It was the most common misconception about them and the one that always bothered her the most.

"So what kind of craft you do?" Nicole asked softly.

"Do I do?" Waverly asked, answering after Nicole nodded, "I manufacture bath oils and soaps and lotions and shampoo. And the Aunts....they meddle in people's love lives." Nicole looked at her dubiously for a moment, brow furrowed and, god, those eyes. Nicole was so close that Waverly could swear she smelled her shampoo. It made her light headed. "Magic isn't just spells and potions. Your badge..." 

Waverly reached into the pocket of Nicole's jacket, the one she knew she kept her badge in. The fabric of her jacket was soft under her touch and it took every ounce of self control not to just play with it. She pulled out Nicole's badge and looked at it, running her finger over the cold metal. "I't's just a star. Just a little symbol...talisman...it can't stop criminals in their tracks, you know?" Waverly shrugged and smiled as she continued. "It has power because you believe it does. I wish you could believe in me."

She looked up at Nicole through her lashes, silently pleading her to just...leave them alone. Also willing herself not to just tug her close just to feel how their bodies would feel pressed together.

"Waverly," Nicole said under her breath.

"Yes?" she answered breathily.

Nicole licked her lips, eyes boring into Waverly like she was debating something before taking back her badge.

"Are you hiding Bobo Del Rey?"

"Not in this house," Waverly said with a serious shake of her head. It wasn't a lie, so it came easily off of her tongue. Not like the other times when she would try and lie and it just came out as gibberish and nonsense. She heard Wynonna coming down the stairs and didn't want her sister to find her in a situation where she was so close to Nicole, so she slowly backed away and began back towards the kitchen. Nicole asking one last question made Waverly stop and look at the other woman.

"Did you or your sister kill Bobo Del Rey?"

Waverly paused and considered her options. She would tell the truth. "Oh yeah. A couple of times," she said with a smile. Nicole didn't need to know how much of the truth this really was. She blinked up at her, not sure what to think, as the Earp wandered into the kitchen. 

Wynonna raised a questioning eyebrow at Waverly when she walked back into the kitchen. She just shook head as Nicole followed behind. Doc and Dolls wandered down too, only looking slightly suspicious. 

"Waverly, Offier," Doc said tipping his hat at the two of them, "Good morning to you both."

"Morning Doc. Dolls," Waverly said going back to her pancake making. She began to pore the batter into the frying pan when Dolls stopped her.

"I think it's time to show you the secret skill I've been hiding," Dolls said rolling up his sleeves. He took the frying pan, waited for the pancake to be ready to turn and flipped it in the air. It caught the edge of the pan and barely stayed in, but Dolls acted impressed with himself all the same.

Waverly say at the kitchen island next to Wynonna and shrugged. "Five out of ten. Could be better."

Nicole saddled up to Dolls with a smirk and took the pan from him. Without even saying anything, she flipped the pancake in the air and it took two turns before falling perfectly back on the pan. Waverly smiled widely and Dolls just shrugged in defeat. "I think I got this from here," Nicole said smiling over her shoulder at Waverly.

With a nod, Waverly slipped off of her seat and began gathering plates for the table. She set them on the table and didn't think much of it when Dolls put a canister of syrup on the table. He set it carefully down as if it would break at any moment. 

"You alright there?" she asked him as Nicole wandered over with the pancakes. He didn't respond, just sat down at the opposite end of the table. Everyone sat down and began to put pancakes on their plate. 

Nicole reached for the syrup and Wynonna's eyes grew wide with panic for some reason Waverly couldn't figure out. She immediately hit the bottle from Nicole's hand. Waverly and Nicole looked at Wynonna like she had grown a new head. 

"Wynonna," Dolls said in a warning tone. She just shrugged and cut into her pancake. Nicole cautiously reached for it again and Wynonna grabbed it from her and chucked it towards the edge of the yard.

"Wynonna!" Waverly hissed at her, "What are you doing?"

"Sorry it just...I didn't like the looks of that syrup," she said with a shrug. 

Doc and Dolls looked horrified at Wynonna's actions. Nicole smiled but still looked slightly concerned as she began to eat. A frog jumped on the table and Waverly stared for a moment. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just looked at the frog who was just sitting calmly next to the pancakes.

"Bobo," it croaked out.

"What did it say?" Nicole asked as Waverly's heart dropped to her stomach.

"Frogs can't talk," Wynonna laughed nervously and tried to shoo the frog away but it jumped just out of reach. With one long burp, it coughed up a silver ring. Bobo's ring. "Oh! I've been looking for this," Wynonna said reaching for the ring quickly. Nicole was quicker though, picking it up with her handkerchief and looking between the two sisters.

"This is your ring?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. Wynonna just nodded. "What the hell do you two think you're playing at?" Nicole asked standing up from the table angrily. Waverly couldn't even look her in the eyes, her stomach twisted uncomfortably and she ran a nervous hand through her hair.

"You two better get yourself a good lawyer," she said, "And don't even think about leaving town." She began to walk away and turned back to interject. "And what was in that syrup?" 

***

"We just have to stick to our story. No body, no crime," Wynonna insisted as she began to clean up the kitchen. Her elbow knocked a bowl off the counter and it shattered on the ground. Waverly just continued to clean the dishes, feeling the frustration mounting in her chest. "Sorry, I'm feeling like shit, I'm not sleeping," the older Earp said as she began to pick up the glass from the floor, "I've just been so crazy lately with this whole thing. I don't know what I'm doing."

Something in Waverly finally broke and she snapped at her sister. "Oh, yeah, right, it's always about you. That's all you care about. It's all about you." Wynonna looked up at her from the floor and threw her hands up in the air. The glass she had been picking up clattered back to the ground and she stood up. Hands in a surrender, she began to walk up the stairs and away from the kitchen. 

"No! You do not get to walk away from me!" Waverly said pointing angrily at her sister, "I'm sick and tired of always cleaning up your messes."

Wynonna turned angrily and began to stomp back down the stairs. "Okay, then what do you want me to do, Waverly? I forgot, you're always right. All I do is make a mess. Just one big mess. Well at least I've lived my life. And you hate me for it because it scares the hell out of you."

Waverly rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I don't hate you, Wynonna. Don't be dramatic."

"Look at you!" Wynonna said gesturing at the brunette, "You spend all your energy trying to fit in, be normal! But you'll never fit in. Because we're different! All my life, I've wished I had half your talent. You're wasting yourself."

It had always been a point of contention between them. Waverly had more natural magic then Wynonna, that had always been clear. She had also spent most of her life ignoring it and trying not to use her magic. As an orphan living with your weird, flamboyant aunts and rumors of a curse living over your head, you didn't need any more reason to be made fun of. 

"I'm not wasting myself."

"You are! You're wasting your power and, frankly, you're wasting your life! Champ is dead, and I'm sorry about that. But you have to move on, Waves! You can't spend your whole life holed up in this place and become and old hag. Just because you're scared of falling in love!"

"I fell in love once!" Waverly said, her voice shaky and eyes filled with hurt, "I don't need to fall in love again."

"You're just scared. Look at what's right in front of you!"

"I want you out of here. I want you gone," Waverly said firmly. Her eyes met with Wynonna's and they two sisters stared at each other for a long moment until the oldest just shrugged in defeat.

"Fine. I'm gone." Wynonna said crossing her own arms in front of her chest. They stared at each other for another moment and Waverly finally broke eye contact to get her sweater from the bannister. Wynonna finally asked, fear in her voice. "Where are you going?" 

"I'm doing the right thing," Waverly said shrugging her sweater on.

"No!" Wynonna said stepping between her sister and the door, "You'e not! You are not going to go tell her what happened."

Waverly grabbed her keys from the hanging hook. "You know what's funny, is ever since she walked into this house, it's all I've wanted to do."

"What are you going to do?" Wynonna grabbed Waverly's arm and tried to hold her back, "Get on your knees and beg her not to arrest us?"

"You want me to be true to myself?" Waverly asked shrugging her sister's arm off as she turned around to stare Wynonna down, "Then watch this."

With one final determined stare, Waverly walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her as she chased after Nicole.

***

"That was Bobo's ring!" Waverly said when she finally saw the red head walking about halfway through town.

"You don't say," Nicole answered sarcastically.

Waverly sighed, "I know you already knew that but I just...had to tell you. I don't want to lie to you."

Nicole turned and walked backwards briefly, "I meant what I said back there. You better get yourself a lawyer before you talk to me." Her eyes were almost pleading with Waverly, telling her to stop talking as she turned back around and continued walking. The Earp grabbed Nicole's arm, forcing her to stop walking as she looked up into her eyes.

"I don't want a lawyer."

Nicole looked back at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Waverly just nodded, her hand still on Nicole's arm. The red head searched Waverly's face before nodding and opening the gate of the small cottage they had stopped in front of. She walked in, Nicole following close behind. "You'll have to forgive the mess. I wasn't expecting company."

As Waverly walked in to Nicole's hotel room, the nerves hit her almost instantly. It was a small room, but still managed to feel open. On the bed were evidence photos from Bobo's car to crime scene photos of the poor girl who's body they had found. Nicole moved around and started throwing dirty clothes and food wrappers into the bathroom. If Waverly had known any better, she would say she was nervous too. She picked up a photo of the brand on the victims skin and Nicole took it from her, arranging all the photos in the pile. Normally Waverly would have protested, but under the photo she saw her letter that she had written to Wynonna, the one Nicole had asked about when she first came to the house.

Nicole started her recorder and began to speak into it. "This is Officer Nicole Haught. We have the testimony of Waverly Earp. She is speaking on her own volition."

Waverly opened the letter, now worn with apparent use. "How many times did you read my letter?"

"A few times," Nicole answered with a shrug, "I had to go over all the evidence. Feel free to have a seat."

She sat at the small table that was shoved under the window and Nicole set the recorder between them before sitting down herself. "Where is Bobo Del Rey?"

With a sigh, Waverly answered, "I think he's in the spirit world."

"So...he's dead."

"No. I think he's haunting us. What evidence did you get from my letter."

"Did you or your sister kill Bobo Del Rey."

"Wynonna didn't kill anybody."

Wynonna didn't. But you did. Did you?"

"What if I told you I did? What would you do? Would you send me to jail the rest of my life? Why? Because the world is short a horrible man like Bobo Del Rey?"  
Nicole licked her lips nervously and stood up. She stood in front of Waverly and answered gently. "That's not for you or me to decide. I don't think you should be punished, but he has to be held accountable."

"He has been punished," Waverly answered firmly.

"He has?" Nicole said searching Waverly's face. She felt her breath catch when she realized how close Nicole was to her. If she answered, it would have to be the truth, so Waverly remained silent instead. Nicole clicked off the recorder and shook her head at the other woman. "You really should get a lawyers advice before going any further." Waverly wasn't sure if she had heard anything sexier before that moment. That was until Nicole continued softly, her face getting closer to Waverly's. "Listen, I know you're in some kind of trouble. I want you to know you can trust me to help you with whatever you need. I can't promise anything...but I will try as hard as I can to keep you our of harm's way."

Waverly felt her heart swell to the point of bursting and she glanced down at Nicole's lips ever so briefly. "Oh no," she whispered to herself. 

"Wha-" Nicole began, interrupted by Waverly's lips colliding with her own. The Earp released a breath she didn't realize she was holding and she felt her heart flutter and land in her stomach. Nicole stood shocked for a moment before resting her hands on Waverly's hips and gently pushing her against the wall. Waverly's fingers threaded through short red hair and tugged her even closer as their lips glided together. 

The brunette was feeling a million things at once. She was elated, Nicole's hands burning a path over her skin as they roamed, trying to feel as much of her skin as she could. Her hands went up Waverly's side and over her shoulders, pushing her sweater off her shoulders. Her hands came up to rest on either side of the ginger's face and it felt like she could kiss her forever. But the last person she felt that way for-

"Stop," Waverly breathed out, holding Nicole back a little, "I can't."

"Sorry, sorry," Nicole panted. She moved her hands to rest on the wall on either side of Waverly instead. Both stood just catching their breaths for a moment, Waverly's hands still on Nicole's face. Her thumbs brushed over her cheek bones and she looked at the woman in front of her. She was so incredibly beautiful and so kind. Marvelously kind even. 

Waverly couldn't hold back any longer. She pulled Nicole back and the taller woman practically collapsed against her in shock as their lips pressed together once more. This time even more passionate then before. She wasn't sure if Nicole picked her up or if she jumped, but either way her legs were wrapped around the other woman's waist and she was being walking back towards the bed. 

Their tongues played together, a slow dance they were just learning. Waverly felt something she had never felt before, a sort of lightness in her chest that almost elated her. Nicole gently dropped her only the bed and crawled over her, their lips not daring to disconnect. It was as if they were under a spell that would be broken as soon as they pulled apart. Waverly was sure she could live without air if it meant kissing Nicole forever. 

_Forever._

A word that has always scared Waverly to her core. Something that always felt like she could never have. She pulled away for a moment and she pushed Nicole's hair away from her face. Gazing into her eyes, her heart stopped for a moment. 

"One brown eye, one hazel," she breathed. 

"I was born with it," Nicole shrugged, looking a little shell shocked. 

Waverly asked a question, wondering if she even wanted the answer. "Can you ride a horse backwards?"

Nicole looked confused but still amused Waverly just the same. "Yeah. Forwards, backwards...probably upside down if I really wanted."

It was like her heart stopped and a dread came over her. "Oh god," she said sitting up and effectively pushing Nicole off of her in the process. 

"What's wrong?" Nicole's voice was laced with concern. 

"I gotta go. I gotta go," Waverly said standing up from the bed and rushing out of the hotel room, leaving a confused and hurt Nicole behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the reading and comments! Some Wayhaught drama is ahead.

Waverly's lips were still tingling as she walked back to the house. She pulled her sweater tighter around her body and tried to organize the thoughts racing through her mind. Her heart was telling her to run back and jump into Nicole's arms. But her mind told her that kissing Nicole felt better then anything had ever felt and that was terrifying. It was terrifying and she wasn't completely convinced Nicole even had a choice in the matter. 

Everything was adding up to perfectly. Flipping pancakes in the air, the one hazel eye one brown, being able to ride a horse backwards...It sounded like Nicole had been summoned here by the stupid spell Waverly had done as a child desperate to never experience the same pain her mother had. The kind of pain she had just barely stopped feeling. 

_"Waverly."_

She stopped in her tracks, Wynonna's voice resonating on her head. 

_"Waverly, I need you."_

Her heart dropped when she heard the desperation in her sisters voice. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. Chills erupted over her skin and Waverly began to run as fast as her feet would take her. She ran into the house and she heard an unearthly scream from upstairs. Barging into the room, Doc and Dolls were standing on either side of Wynonna and holding her arms down on the bed. Her back bent at an unusual angle like something was trying to escape her body. After a moment her body slammed down on the bed. 

It was Wynonna only physically. Waverly could sense an evil in the room. Wind came from nowhere and howled through the room, windows banging open and slamming against the wall. 

"We have a bit of a situation here," Doc yelled over Wynonna's screams. 

"What's happening?" 

Waverly looked behind her and Nicole was sprinting up the stairs, gun drawn. Wynonna's eyes turned on her sister, the vein in her neck popping out line it was going to burst. Her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat and a chilling grin stretched over her face. 

A haunting laugh crawled out of Wynonna's throat and a black mass rose from her body. A man's body began to take shape and the smoky figure of Bobo sat up from Wynonna's chest. The oldest Earp collapsed back on the bed barely breathing. Nicole stepped in front of Waverly and pointed her gun at Bobo. 

"Ah, Officer Haught," Bobo said, his voice echoing around them, "seeing you makes me feel home sick."

Bobo floated up like he was standing and began to move across the room. Nicole remained straight on with him and as soon as the spirit was far enough away from Wynonna, Waverly kneeled next to the bed besides her. 

"Well, well, well," Bobo continued as he stared down Nicole, "you know what's funny about existing on a separate plane? I can read people's hearts. Their feelings. For example, I see your heart is finally taken."

"It's okay, Wy, I'm right here," Waverly whispered to her sister. She brushed some hair from Wynonna's face and gripped her hand. "I'm here." Blue eyes opened slowly and looked at her sister. 

"You're in love, Officer Haught," Bobo said with a sharp laugh, "What a shame you must fall in love with a woman who is so entirely unwilling to love back."

"Bobo Del Rey, you're under arrest," Nicole said, gun unwavering, "You have the right to remain sil-"

"You think I can be arrested?" Bobo said throwing his head back in laughter, "You think you can stop me?"

In an instant Bobo was inches from Nicole and he shoved his hand into her chest. She dropped her gun in surprise and gasped in pain. Her hands clawed at his arm but they just went through and his arm disappeared and reacted like smoke. It was like Bobo was squeezing her heart right in her chest. Suddenly he started screaming in pain and he pulled his hand from Nicole's chest. She collapsed on the ground and her badge fell from her coat pocket. Bobo clutched his wrist in pain and looked at his hand that was burned in the shape of a star. 

"Nicole!" Waverly said as Wynonna started to come too, "Your badge! The silver!"

Nicole lunged for her badge and held it out towards Bobo who retreated in fear. He disappeared in a swirl of smoke and suddenly the room went quite. Doc and Dolls sat down on the floor, shocked. Nicole was staring over at Waverly with wide eyes, still panting in pain. 

"Waves?" Wynonna croaked out, pulling her sisters attention. 

"It's okay," Waverly said kissing her forehead, "I'm here. It's over."

***

"What was that?" Nicole asked, running a hand through her hair. The action made her hair stick up in a way that made her look adorable but Waverly was sure this wasn't the time to even be thinking that. Not when Nicole looked so upset and confused. Especially now when Bobo had said...what he said. "That was him wasn't it? Where is he?"

"Yes, you killed his spirit," Waverly said folding her arms over her chest, "But I took his life. And I'm tired of this whole mess. I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you how I did it, where I buried his body, what I used. Everything."

Nicole looked taken back. "Wow, okay. Let's back up a goddamn second, okay? One step at a time." She paused for a second and began to pace. "I took an oath to uphold the law. I came here to bring in the bad guy because, generally, that's what I do." She threw her hands up and her voice for softer as she stepped towards Waverly. "You asked me how many times I read your letter. I must have read it a thousand times."

Waverly felt a lump in her throat and looked down at her feet. Nicole was standing in front of her, so vulnerable and caring. God, Waverly hated herself for what she had to do. 

She opened her mouth to interject but Nicole kept talking. "I know now, more then ever, that it was your letter that brought me here. It was you," Nicole said softly, "Waverly, I...I think I loved you before I even met you. And I'm all mixed up about that."

The brunette licked her lips and felt her heart breaking. How could she had done this to such a sweet person? This was why she hated magic, it was always messing with people's lives. 

"Nicole," Waverly began, "the reason that you came here is because I sent for you. When I was little I did a spell so I would never fall in love. I made up this person in my head with qualities that I knew couldn't exist."

"Like one brown eye one hazel?" 

"But you do," Waverly said, her voice cracking, "You have all of those qualities."

Nicole shook her head in disbelief, "You're saying what I'm feeling is...is one of your spells?"

"That's what I'm saying," Waverly breathed out, "And if you stayed, I wouldn't know if it was because of the spell and you wouldn't know if it was just because I didn't want to go to jail."

With a humorless chuckle, Nicole tucked her hands in her pockets. "You know, all relationships have problems."

Waverly rocked on her heels and chewed on her bottom lip. She wasn't sure what she expected. If she expected Nicole to fight her or insist that it wasn't true. But she knew she couldn't continue this either way. "I'm right aren't I? You don't even know do you?"

The red head shrugged, shoulders staying near her ears. "I'll tell you what then. Why don't you do what I do and you do what you do and we'll see where we end up? Okay?"

If a broken heart could make a sound, Waverly was pretty sure the whole world would be able to hear it at that moment. It's all for the best, she knew it, but it still hurt. This was the best possible outcome. If she let Nicole stay, she wouldn't know if it was because she was under a spell. Not to mention that Death March Beetle would come for her in a matter of time.

"Yeah, okay," Waverly said with a sniff. 

"You know," Nicole said quietly, "Curses only have power if you believe in them." Nicole began to walk away. It took everything in Waverly's body not to run after her. She turned around and walked backwards as she said, "You know, I wished for you too."

That was what broke Waverly as the red head continued walking away. Sobs wracked her body and the tears began to fall from her eyes. She put her hand over her mouth and turned away so she wouldn't have to see Nicole's retreating head. This was for the best, she kept repeating to herself, This was for the best. 

***

Waverly dragged her feet as she walked into the house. She could still smell Nicole on her and it made her think of back in her hotel room when the red head was on top of her. The gentle pressure of her body pushed Waverly into the mattress and her lips-

She stopped herself from thinking about it further. It didn't matter anymore. Nicole was gone, as it should be. The only reason she was here was because of a dumb spell that she had cast as a child. It would be wrong to continue any sort of relationship with her when she clearly had no choice in the matter.

As she walked into the kitchen, Wynonna was coming down the stairs. She looked tired, but just like the old Wynonna. Waverly saw her sister and immediately collapsed into her arms for comfort. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as Wynonna wrapped her arms around her and hugged her back. At least she had her sister back. That's what really mattered. Wynonna began to squeeze a little tighter to the point of being uncomfortable and Waverly wriggled uncomfortably. Her sister gripped her hair uncomfortable and tried to pull away as she felt Wynonna lick the side of her face. 

She pushed the older woman away and she could tell something wasn't right. Something in Wynonna's eyes had...changed.

"Hello, Waverly," she said, her voice echoed with none other then Bobo's, "Poor little girl. Let her love go." She slowly walked towards Waverly who edged along the kitchen counter looking for something to keep Bobo back.

"You stay away!" she said holding a pot in front of her with both hands, "And get out of my sister!"

Bobo laughed and continued to inch forward, "But it's so comfortable in here." She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulder. "You know, little girl, you have a darkness to you. I can see it. You're got a lot hiding in that little mind of yours." She reached her hand out towards the brunette. "I can help you make those thoughts go away. We can start by getting rid of your Officer Haught. She wouldn't be hard to kill. We can do it no-"

Waverly swung the pot and hit Wynonna in the side of her head. She collapsed and Waverly immediately felt bad. "Oh she's going to be so mad about that," she said as Doc and Dolls ran down the stairs.

"What happened?" Dolls asked when he saw Wynonna's form on the ground.

"Bobo isn't as gone as we thought he was," Waverly said setting the pot down and trying to lift Wynonna by the arm. Doc and Dolls helped her and placed her unconscious body in a chair. 

"Looks like our timing is not what it used to be," Aunt Wahley said, barging through the front door and seeing Wynonna slumped over.

"Our instincts are now what they used to be," Aunt Wanda said setting her stuff down and taking a long look at Wynonna, "He's squatting inside of her like a toad."

Waverly had never been more relieved to see her Aunts. She threw her arms around them and they patted her back in comfort. 

"You really messed this one up, pumpkin," Aunt Wanda said. 

"This is what happens with dabbling. You can't practice magic while you turn your nose up at it," Wahely reminded as she conjured ropes to tie Wynonna's lifeless body to the chair.

Waverly rolled her eyes and pulled away, "I know. Just tell me what to do and I'll fix it."

Aunt Wahley sighed and took a closer look at Wynonna, "We have to banish him. Send his spirit back to the grave."

"We'll need a coven," Wanda agreed with a nod.

"We need at least nine women."

"Twelve is better," Wanda said looking over at Waverly, "Do you have any friends?"

Waverly crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Besides Doc or Dolls? No."

The Aunts looked over at the two men who had been observing quietly from the corner. "Well, they certainly won't do. But they can help," Wahley said, "Boys, we need to make this place as witchy looking as possible and stat. Waverly, let's get some ladies in here."

***

Waverly set the phone book down on the bedroom floor in front of her. She sat crosslegged, phone in hand, and tried to think about the best point of action. She should probably start with the town gossip: Susan. Once she told her that surprise! They were witches! The whole town would know within the hour. She found her number and dialed, waiting anxiously on the line until Susan answered.

"Hello?" Susan said.

"Heeeey, Susan," Waverly said as friendly as she could, "This is Waverly Earp. How are you?"

"Fine," Susan answered with some hesitation.

"Good! Well, I just called to tell you that all those rumors about my family are true. You know, the ones about us being witches or whatever," Waverly said with a nervous chuckle, "Actually, we need some help."

"Oh, Waverly," Susan said, "I am so happy for you. Finally coming out. That's great. It must be freeing."

Waverly frowned but continued, "Um, yeah, it feels...great. So um...I was actually wondering if you could bring some friends...about eleven of them, and come down to the house for a live demonstration."

"A live demonstration?"

"Yeah," she said licking her lips nervously, "Actually, my sister is in a spot. Her ex just...won't leave her alone! So we need to do just a quick little spell to fix her right up. But we need some more people for that."

"Oh, sure!" Susan said, surprisingly chipper, "Actually, me and the girls were going to get together for our bridge night, but this is even better! Should we bring anything? Chips? Wine?"

Waverly was taken aback by the woman's willingness but went along anyways. "Actually, if everyone could bring a broom..."

"Oo, how fun!" Susan said with the excitement of a woman who's main social event was a weekly bridge night, "Yeah, I'll let the girls know. We'll be there in about an hour."

"Perfect!" Waverly said with a relieved sigh, "Thank you!"

"No problem, dear," she said, "Again, so proud of you."

"Thank you, Susan. See you soon," Waverly said before hanging up.

"You can always count on a small town to be nosy and come through when you most need them." Doc's voice surprised Waverly and she turned to see the man leaning against the doorway.

"I knew they had to be good for something," she said shutting the book.

Doc sat on the bed, "Have you asked your Officer friend?"

"She's not my friend and no I haven't asked her," Waverly said leaning back against the night table, "We're going out separate ways."

Doc nodded silently for a moment before continuing, "Even though you two seem to have more then just friendly feelings for each other?"

Waverly shrugged, "She may have feelings for me but they're not real. I cast a stupid spell when I was eight years old and that's the only reason she has any feelings for me."

"Oh, I know all about that spell," Doc said, "It's the reason why Wynonna threw away the potion in that syrup. We spent all morning making that so that your problem with the law would go away. But as soon as Wynonna realized that Officer Haught was the person from your spell, she tossed it."

"She did?"

Doc nodded, "I never put much stock in curses and the such. Maybe you should give her a chance."

"I know it's because of the spell," Waverly insisted, "I know it is."

"What I don't understand," Doc said standing back up, "is why you won't let her decide that for herself."

Waverly continued, "It's all down to magic. She doesn't have a choice."

"Does she not have a choice? Or is it just easier for you to say she doesn't and leave it at that?" Doc asked before walking out of the room. Waverly felt her heart squeeze in her chest but she ignored it as best she could. Helping Wynonna was more important anyways.

"She doesn't have a choice!" Waverly repeated desperately to Doc's retreating back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a little longer to get this chapter out, because if you've noticed it's jumped up a rating. I wanted to take my time writing the sexy times. 
> 
> Also, yesterday I was walking behind Melanie but couldn't get up the courage to say hi. So I just let her wonderfulness wash over me from afar.

Within the hour, women were knocking on the door, cheerful smiles and brooms in hand.  They were all cheerful, much to Waverly's surprise.  She had been so used to them whispering behind her back and being afraid of her that the friendliness felt…odd.

They looked around the house in wonder and Waverly was glad they had played up the witch angle.  They placed spooky looking candles all over the house, lowered the lights and put potion bottles all over the kitchen.  Wanda even brought out her cauldron that usually stayed unused in the basement to brew a potion.  It looked awkward and slightly comical to see it dwarf the stove, but it had the intended effect.  All the women’s eyes went straight to the cauldron as they came into the kitchen.  

“Welcome, ladies,” Aunt Wahley said as she swept down the stairs, “Everything is all set up if we want to continue up the stairs.”

Waverly began to follow them up, but one of the women (Waverly thought her name was Beverly) stayed behind to walk with her.  "So, where's that cute officer friend of yours?" she asked wriggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, um, she left," Waverly said with a blush, "She was done.  Investigating."

"Well, that's a shame," maybe-Beverly said, "You two were awfully cute together."

The youngest Earp just smiled politely and kept walking.  The last thing she wanted to think about was Nicole.  She would stop thinking about her soon anyways, once her magical influence wore off.  It was only a matter of time.  

Stepping into the attic, the women all talked in hushed whispers when they saw Wynonna sitting on the floor in a circle of salt.  Her skin was pale and clammy, lips curled back in a snarl and eyes wide and crazy.  Waverly got a chill just looking at her.  That wasn't her sister.  That was Bobo through and through.

"Okay ladies," Wahley said calmly, "I'm going to tell you what's about to happen.  Now, we're going to get in a circle with our brooms and create a spell circle-"

"Waverly," Dolls tapped on the girl's shoulder and quietly said, "Someone is downstairs to see you.  You have a second before they get started."

Waverly looked at Dolls suspiciously but wandered back down the stairs anyways.  When she got into the kitchen, her heart nearly stopped.  Nicole stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking up the stairs at the brunette.  Waverly stopped for a moment, taking her in in her casual clothes.  The red head smiled up at her as she walked down the stairs to stand in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Waverly asked, subconsciously crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Nicole blinked at her for a moment before shrugging and stepping even closer to Waverly.  "Well, there was a rumor going around town that the Earp sisters had just 'come out' and I didn't think I could miss that."

Waverly couldn't help but smile a little bit, but quickly shook it off.  "I thought you left?"

"I couldn't leave," Nicole said softly, "I had to see you again."

"Nicole-"

"Waves, I know what you said...about me not having a choice.  But I swear this is on my own free will," Nicole insisted.

With a sigh, Waverly closed her eyes and tried to hold back the tears she could feel pricking at the corners of her eyes.  She thought she had gotten Nicole to go away.  It was painful enough the first time, she didn't know if she could keep chasing her away.  

"Let me help at least," Nicole continued, "Please."

"Fine," Waverly said looking down at her feet, "You can help.  Let's go."

She led her up to the attic where all the women had formed in a circle, brooms connecting as they held them in front of them length wise.  They made room for Nicole to stand with them in the circle and she picked up a broom with them.  Waverly waited off to the side, eyes on Wynonna the whole time.  She was too distraught it help with the actual spell.  That and she was too afraid of what her magic might actually do.  It had only gotten her into trouble at this point anyways.

"Remember, ladies," Aunt Wanda began, "It's only with our hearts beating as one that we can save this child."

The candles around the room flickered menacingly as the Aunts began to chant in Latin.  The other women just listened for a moment before slowly picking up and chanting with them.  Waverly knew the spell.  It was an old one used to banish evil, one her Aunts had told her she'd never need to use when she was younger and still inhaling everything about magic she could find.

Wynonna began to scream, it was an unearthly echoed scream that bounced off the walls and went straight through Waverly's soul.  The window of the attic banged open and a strong gust of wind lifted skirts and hair as it ripped through the space.  Wynonna's back bent at an impossible angle and the vein popped out of her neck.  Waverly made eye contact with her sister and felt a chill in her bones.  It was Bobo, but she could see her sister deep in there somewhere, crying out in pain.

"Stop!  Stop!  You're killing her!" Waverly said, watching from just outside the circle.  

Wynonna stood, staring straight at Waverly with eyes that weren't her sisters.  "Waverly," Bobo's voice echoed over Wynonna's, "Why are you trying to fight me?"

"Get out of my sister!" Waverly yelled.

"Fight this, bitch!" Bobo said angrily as he launched Wynonna towards her sister.  The magic from the circle blocked her and sent Wynonna sprawling backwards onto the ground.  The chanting stop and Waverly fell on the ground in front of her sister.  The brooms prevented her from touching her, but as Wynonna frowned and came too, Waverly could see her sister more then before.

"Wynonna," she whispered as she lay on the ground parallel to her sister, "I'm here."

Wynonna slowly opened her eyes, her face exhausted as she managed to curl her lips in a small smile.  "Hey, Waves, what a time to be alive, huh?  I bet my ex story will totally beat all of yours now."

Waverly smiled and nodded.  "We're going to help you.  We're going to get rid of Bobo once and for all."

With a shake of her head, Wynonna swallowed thickly.  "I can't, baby girl.  He's too strong.  Just let him take me."

"No, Wynonna, I need you to fight him," Waverly pleaded  .Wynona's eyes began to close as she teetered on the verge of consciousness.  "I need you to stay with me."

"I've tried," Wynonna said on the verge of tears, "he's too strong.  I'm trying so hard to fight him.  It hurts so much.  Just let him take me.  He only wants me, everyone else will be safe."

"You need to stay with me, Wy," Waverly choked out, "I can't do this without you."

Wynonna shook her head, "You're so strong.  You don't need me.  You never have."

"No!" Waverly insisted as she slammed her palm on the wood floor, "Don't die on me!  You promised me we'd die together.  Remember?  When we were old and grey?  This is not that day."

"I love you," Wynonna breathed out, her breathing becoming labored, "I love you, Waverly."

Waverly slammed her fist in frustration before an idea came to her.  "Wait!  Wait, hold on just a little longer.  I've got it."  She sprung from the ground and over to Nicole who was looking at her with side eyes.  "I need your pocket knife."

"How did you know I have one?" Nicole asked as she dug into her pocket as best she could with one hand, the other still on the broom.

Waverly took the knife and shrugged, "It's a gay thing I guess.  Now everyone carefully put the brooms down, but keep the circle in tact."  She ran down the stairs and grabbed a bottle of alcohol, Bobo's preferred brand, and brought it back upstairs.  She took a long chug of it (much to the awe of the women surrounding her) before kneeling on the ground in front of Wynonna once more.  Aunt Wanda carefully moved one of the broom handles to create a door in the magic.  Waverly could reach through but so could Bobo.  She had to be quick.

"Hey, Bobo," Waverly said waving the bottle under her nose, "I got a shot with your name on it, you son of a bitch."

Wynonna's eyes popped open, the same cold look that was Bobo back in them.  She looked coldly up at Waverly who raised a daring eyebrow at her, despite her heart beating a million miles a second.  The only possible way to get Bobo out of her sister's body was going to be with powerful magic.  Powerful magic that could only be achieved with blood.  And Waverly knew just the way.

"If you want it," she said cooly, holding the bottle close to her body, "Come get it."

Wynonna snarled at Waverly and lunged for her, but right as she lunged, Nicole grabbed her and held her back.  Wynonna's arms flailed, legs kicking as she tried to get out of the hold.  Waverly had to work fast.  She opened the pocket knife and slashed her palm, then grabbed Wynonna's palm and slashed it.

"Your blood, my blood!" Waverly said as she held Wynonna's hand, their cuts coming together just like when they made that blood promise years ago, right before Wynonna rode away with some long forgotten boy.  Waverly made sure their palms were still touching as she tackled Wynonna back into the circle.  The broom was quickly closed again and they women began chanting the same latin phrase form before.  Waverly felt tingles through every pore of her skin, she also felt Wynonna's body vibrating and overheating and she wondered if she felt the same way to her sister.  A white light surrounded them, it felt like tiny shocks erupting over her body.  It was just painful enough that she wanted to let go, but she kept holding on to Wynonna for everything she was worth.  Wynonna's scream echoed in her ears, but it faded away into Bobo's scream just as the white light faded away.  She looked up just in time to see Bobo's spirit lifting towards the ceiling, still screaming in pain before it exploded and ash littered the floor.  

Everyone stood in shock for a moment.  Waverly couldn't breath, she just sat still and listened, afraid to even let Wynonna go.  But as soon as she heard her sister groan, she breathed a sigh of relief.  She looked over at her Aunts and nodded, letting them know their niece was fine. She had never been more relieved in her life. Thankful tears prickled the corners of her eyes and she hugged Wynonna even tighter. 

"Sweep him away!" Aunt Wanda said cheerfully.  All the woman yelled in happiness and grabbed their brooms as they began to sweep the ashes of Bobo out of the attic and down the stairs.  "Sweep him into the rose bushes!"

Waverly stayed upstairs, still clutching Wynonna closely.  "I guess I owe you one," Wynonna mumbled into Waverly's shoulder as she started to come to.  

Nicole remained a respectful distance away from the sisters, but Doc and Dolls came over to help Wynonna on her feet.  The older sister noticed the red head for the first time.  Despite her weariness, Wynonna still managed to nod at the Officer and turn her head to look at Waverly.

"I need my rest, Waves," she said as they walked her to her bedroom, "Take your time talking to Officer Haught stuff over here."

Waverly blushed profusely and rolled her eyes at her sister.  "If a demon hadn't just come out of you, I would kick your ass!"

With all the strength she had left, Wynonna flipped off her sister without even looking back.  Once Nicole and Waverly were left alone, they looked at each other shyly from across the room before Nicole took slow, measured steps forward.  The brunette licked her lips nervously and crossed her arms over her chest almost protectively.  She didn't want to have this conversation, but she also didn't want Nicole to leave.  

"Hey," Nicole began softly, stopping a foor away from Waverly.

"Hey," Waverly said finally looking at the taller woman, "You came back."

Nicole nodded, "I came back."

Every little twist and turn of her brain was telling her that Nicole had to come back because of the spell.  but her heart and the way Nicole was looking at her said…said maybe it was because she actually wanted to.  They began to slowly drift closer together until they were just inches apart.  Wavlerly’s hands sat on the flat of Nicole’s chest as she looked up at the other woman.  “You came back because of me?”

She was very aware of the double meaning in her sentence.  Nicole seemed too as well and she let her hands rest on Waverley’s waist with a small smile.  “I came because I wanted to.  For you.”

Waverley’s hands smoothed over Nicole’s chest, up towards her collarbones and neck before tangling in red hair.  She tugged on silky locks while lifting herself up on her tip toes to brush their lips together.  Nicole’s lips parted and their lips brushed ever so softly for a moment before Nicole finally closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together.  A sigh escaped Waverley’s lips and she melted into the kiss.  Sure they had only done this once before, but it felt like they had been doing it forever.  

Her brain screamed at her to stop, to send Nicole away again.  But her heart ached every moment since she told her to leave the first time.  An ache that only became bearable when Nicole was close.  Magic was an awful, a terrible thing.  That’s what she always told herself.  But if what she was feeling right now wasn’t magic, she didn’t know what was.  Her whole body hummed with energy and the hair on her arms stood on edge.

“Do you feel that?” Wavily whispered against Nicole’s lips.  Her fingers scraped at the base of her skull and Nicole pulled her closer.

“I just feel you,” she breathed out, “only you.”

Waverly clung to the red head even harder, her tongue tangling her her own.  There was a small pull at the bottom of her stomach and she backed up, the back of her knees hitting her bed.  Nicole pulled away with a small frown and looked around.  She gulped for air for a second before asking.  “How did we end up here?”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Waverly said breathlessly.  Her hands smoothed over the front of Nicole’s chest as their lips reconnected.  Fingers found the bottom of the taller woman’s shirt and played with the fabric between her fingers.  Slowly they danced over the skin just above Nicole's waistband.  She was warm and soft and...Nicole gasped against her lips an Waverly took it as permission to smooth her hands over the flat plain of her stomach.

"Waves," Nicole whispered as she halted her movements by grasping her wrists, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Waverly said without even pausing to think.  She couldn't think or else she'd push Nicole away again.  This could work.  This could be real...she wanted it to be.  So badly.

Nicole surged forward and gave Waverly a bruising kiss, her hands cupping the shorter girl's face.  Waverly's hands continued up Nicole's smooth stomach and over her breasts to push her shirt over her head.  Her shirt thrown on the ground somewhere, Nicole began to undo the buttons of Waverly's shirt with dexterity.  Waverly would be impressed if she wasn't focused on feeling as much of Nicole's pale skin under palms as she could.  Her hands moved to the small of her back and up towards the clasp of her bra, she only stopped to shrug off her shirt after Nicole unbuttoned it.  Her hands moved over Waverly's shoulders, her back, her arms, her breasts.  The latter made the shorter girl gasp and arch into her hands as her own fingers fumbled with the clasp of Nicole's bra.  

After a few more seconds of frustration, and Waverly gave in, snapping her fingers and letting Nicole's bra unhook itself.  Hey, not all magic was bad.

Nicole kissed across her jaw and down her neck, licking and sucking the skin along the way.  Waverly felt her knees weaken, suddenly thankful that Nicole's hands were firm on her hips.  Eager fingers found Nicole's belt buckle.  They pushed and pulled at the leather until it came free.  Once her belt was deposited they made quick work of her pants. At some point in the shuffle, Waverly's bra had made it onto the floor but she didn't notice until the red head ducked down and took a rosy nipple in her mouth.

Waverly's fingers tightened in Nicole's hair and she pulled her lip between her teeth.  She practically fell back on the bed, bringing Nicole down with her.  Nicole finished kicking her pants off and crawled up the bed with Waverly, their lips refusing to disconnect the whole time.  

"You're so beautiful," Nicole whispered as she slipped her hand up Waverly's thigh.  It breached under her skirt, high on her thigh and Waverly licked her lips in anticipation.  The brunette loosened her fingers from red locks to palm a pale breast in her hand.  Nicole groaned and sucked on a spot just below Waverly's collarbone as she rolled a pebbled nipple between her fingers.  Waverly used her free hand to push down her own skirt and kicked it off the bed.  Experienced fingers feathered along Waverly's sides as Nicole pulled away from her collarbone.  The gentle sting of the mark made Waverly sigh and lift her hips towards Nicole. 

She felt Nicole chuckle against her skin at the move in an almost infuriating way, but Waverly was too disctracted by how a pair of soft lips kept moving lower and lower down her body.  Nicole's lips wrapped around a stiff nipple and licked, nipping lightly as her fingers fluttered up and down the shorter girl's inner thigh.  

"Nicole," Waverly moaned, her legs naturally spreading wider, "please."

Nails scraped the soft skin on Waverly's inner thighs and she almost huffed out of frustration. She could feel her arousal pounding in her sex as Nicole's lips traveled lower and lower. They lingered on her stomach, tongue darting out along her abs before skirting lower. Waverly's heart was pounding in her ears, but under it she could feel the gentle breaths and wet sounds of Nicole's lips pressing against skin. 

There was a pause in movement and Nicole looked up at Waverly, brown eyes never leaving hers as she slowly pulled down the smaller woman's panties. A blush instantly lit up the brunette's cheek but Nicole just smiled that small sly smile and Waverly felt her heart burst. 

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world," Nicole breathed, almost reverently as she settled between parted thighs. Her eyes seemed incredibly darker as they bore into Waverly. She couldn't move her eyes away if she wanted to. Nicole lowered her mouth to the apex of Waverly's thighs, making the smaller woman tremble in anticipation. Still not breaking eye contact, she placed a slow, deliberate lick along her folds. 

Waverly's head fell back against the pillow with a sigh, one hand tangling in the red hair between her parted thighs. Nicole kissed her teasingly, just barely pressing on her clit and making her hips jump. 

"Don't tease me," she whimpered with a pout. 

Nicole chuckled and swirled her tongue deliberately around Waverly's clit. "I would never even dream of it."

Fingers tightened in Nicole's hair as she sucked Waverly's clit into her mouth. Both of her arms held Waverly's thighs, hands smoothing over her stomach and hips. Waverly felt herself melt into the mattress, head tipped back in ecstasy as Nicole worked her mouth so wonderfully over her core. Soft, breathy sighs began to turn to moans of pleasure as the red head worked...some kind of magic. 

For a moment Waverly thought about how she'd never felt this way before. She's never felt so loved of dotted upon just from the few days that she had even known the officer. A tight, ball of pleasure began to form on her lower stomach and her hips began to rise in time with the other woman's ministrations. She felt Nicole slip two fingers into her and she immediately clenched around them, drawing them in further. Waverly felt her back bow in pleasure when the other woman felt an especially sensitive spot. 

The coil in her stomach tightened and she felt like she was about to go over the edge. She tugged on Nicole's hair, encouraging her to come up. "I need to kiss you," Waverly managed to breath out. Nicole, never ceasing the movements of her hand, placed another broad lick to her core. 

A moment later Nicole's lips were on Waverly's. She moaned, tasting herself on the other woman's lips. Their tongues tangled together sloppily as Waverly grasped at Nicole for purchase. One hand cupped her neck while the other palmed her breast. With every pump of Nicole's fingers, Waverly felt the knot getting tighter and tighter. A shock went up her spine and spread into warm tingles all over her body as she felt herself approach the edge. Nicole pulled away and her rhythm faltered for a moment as she gave Waverly a confused look. 

"What-...what is that?" she gasped as her face softened into pleasure. 

"Do you feel that?" Waverly asked as she kissed the other woman softly, lips barely parting as she whispered, "That's what you do to me."

"Fuck," Nicole moaned as her pace quickened. 

"I'm so close," Waverly panted as her muscles began to tighten. 

Nicole pulled Waverly's lip between her teeth and growled, "Come for me, baby."

All it took was one more curl of Nicole's fingers and Waverly's back bowed in pleasure. White light exploded beneath her eyelids and the coil in her stomach snapped. Her whole body erupted into pleasure, fingers clawing at Nicole's back as she came. Her legs wrapped around the red head and pulled her impossibly close. 

Nicole let out a low moan as she came that reverberated somewhere in her chest and Waverly almost came again just from the sound of it. She slowly came down from her high, Nicole's fingers gently coaxing her through her orgasm as she placed soft kisses all over her face. 

As both their breathing slowed, Nicole slowly pulled her fingers out of Waverly who groaned at the loss. Her limbs felt like jelly and she couldn't even complain when Nicole's body weight settled on her. A lazy smile lit up Waverly's lips, her fingers playing with the short hairs on the back of Nicole's neck. 

"That's a handy trick you have there," Nicole finally said as she wiped her sticky fingers off on her own thigh, "Will it be like that...every time?"

Waverly blushed at the phrase 'every time' but ignored it. "That's...never happened to me before," she admitted softly as Nicole's head settled on her shoulder, "But I don't think it'll be an...every time thing."

Nicole hummed and let her fingers drift up and down Waverly's ribs. As their breathing slowed and the silence settled over them, Nicole slid off of Waverly. She covered their bodies with a sheet and settled next the the other woman. Waverly immediately curled into her as they laid on their sides, faces inches away. 

Waverly felt Nicole staring at her and opened her eyes with a small smile. "What?"

Nicole shook her head and whispered. "I love you."

Waverly's heart burst and broke at the same time. Her smile faltered slightly but she recovered. All thoughts of the spell came back into her mind. The spell and the curse of the Death March Beetle. Nicole wasn't safe. She could never be safe as long as she loved an Earp. Even then the idea that Waverly's spell brought her here still plagued her mind. "I-"

Nicole put a finger on her lips with a small smile. "Waves, don't say anything," Nicole said softly, "Im sure you have a lot to say. And I want to hear them. But not now. Right now all I want to say...is that I love you."

Waverly felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes but she just nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you."

They kissed softly then and Waverly nuzzled her head under Nicole's chin. She let a tear fall then, but quickly wiped it away. She didn't want Nicole to know. Waverly inhaled her sent and nuzzles her nose against the pale throat. 

Then she knew, this was the last time she'd see Nicole. She had to send her away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Just so you know, the chapter after this one will be the last. I hope to have that posted soon as well. 
> 
> I'm also looking for suggestions for my next Wayhaught fix, so send them my way if you have any!

Waverly sat in the greenhouse, twirling a small bottle between her fingertips. She looked at the dark liquid inside as she chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. 

It had to be done. She knew it did. But it didn't make the situation any easier. 

Last night had been amazing. Even that couldn't express how great it was. They slept in each other's arms and awoke, limbs tangled together. As the sun began to poke through the blinds, Waverly let herself pretend that this was how it could be from now on. This could be their life. But the more time that passed, the more the thoughts in the back of her head creeped towards the front. Letting Nicole in, letting her stay was a death sentence. One that she couldn't even be sure was of her own volition. 

Nicole's eyes sleepily opened, a smile on her lips as soon as she saw Waverly. "Morning, sunshine," she said hoarsely. Waverly's heart fluttered as she kissed her softly.

"Morning, baby," Waverly said tucking red hair behind her ear, "Why don't you take a shower while I make breakfast?"

Nicole wrinkled her nose, "Do i stink that bad?"

"Not at all," Waverly said with a chuckle, despite the ball of anxiety in her stomach, "It'll just give me time to make breakfast."

"Or," Nicole said lowly as her hand moved over Waverly's hip to cup her ass, "we could shower together and then make breakfast?"

Waverly groaned as Nicole kissed down her neck. She was tempted, but- "I can't be distracted when mak be breakfast," she said, gasping when Nicole's teeth scraped a sensitive spot on her neck, "Plus Wynonna's room is right next to the bathroom and she'd never forgive me if she heard us."

"Fine," Nicole resigned. 

Waverly shook herself from her thoughts as the liquid in the bottle moved seemingly on it's own accord. With a sigh, she got up from her chair and walked into the kitchen. The eggs were done, coffee steaming in the pot...she plated their food and poured two cups of coffee. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen island and set the bottle next to a cup. The sound of footsteps echoed in the stairs and without giving herself another second to think, she dumped the potion into one of the coffee cups. 

"Hey, cutie," Nicole said walking over to Waverly and kissing her briefly. Her hair was still damp and sticking up in the back in a way that made Waverly just want to die. 

The red head sat across from her at the kitchen island with a smile. Waverly pushed a plate towards her and Nicole smiled in gratefulness before diving in. Waverly sat, pulling the plate in front of her, along with the two cups of coffee. She resisted sliding the one with the potion over to Nicole. Maybe they could make it work? She was sure there was some kind of spell she might be able to cast to keep away the Death March Beetle. 

"Is one of those coffees for me?" Nicole asked sweetly. Waverly panicked and looked down at her hands, the left holding just coffee and the right holding the mix that would send Nicole away for good. 

"Um, yeah," Waverly said with a forced smile. She still hesitated and licked her lips, staring down at the two cups. Nicole raised an inquisitive eye brow and reached out towards the right cup. Her fingers grazed the mug and-

"Wait!" Waverly said, pulling the coffee away. Nicole froze and Waverly panicked once more. She could try and be happy. She deserved to be happy, didn't she? After everything she'd been through. Waverly took a deep breath and smiled up at Nicole. "Sorry," she sighed as she pushed the right cup to the red head. 

"Thanks," Nicole said raising the cup to her lips. Waverly braced herself, sitting stock still. She didn't know exactly what effect the potion would have. Or how long it would take. She watched Nicole's throat tense as she swallowed and placed the cup back down. "What's wrong?"

Waverly only just then became aware that she hadn't breathed. Nicole was looking up at her with curious eyes and Waverly just tried to smile. "Nothing just...spacing," she replied despite the weight of guilt in her stomach. 

Nicole took a couple of more bites of her food before looking up at Waverly. 

"Waves," she said softly, "I feel weird."

"Weird how?" Waverly asked as her stomach clenched. 

"I don't know", Nicole said standing up from her chair, "Just...weird."

Waverly curiously moved around the island and towards Nicole. The red head clutched the edge of the island and looked up at Waverly. 

"Like I just...need to leave."

The stone in Waverly's stomach got heavier. It had worked. The same potion that Wynonna, Dolls and Doc had cooked up the day they tried to chase Nicole away. She had to tell her the truth now, before it was too late. 

"Nicole," Waverly said as she placed a hand over the red heads, "I'm sorry."

She frowned at the Earp, "What-? What's happening?"

"I...you can't stay here," Waverly said placing a hand on either side of Nicole's face and pressing their foreheads together. The tears she swore she wouldn't let fall gathered in the corners of her eyes. "You're not safe here. It's my fault you're here anyways. The spell-"

"I love you," Nicole said with firm conviction, "You can't tell me that's because of a spell you cast as a kid!"

Tears fell softly down Waverly's cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. You can't stay here."

Waverly's palms became damp with Nicole's tears and it felt like her heart was breaking over and over again. "I'm going to stay," Nicole said through gritted teeth, "I'm going to fight it. You can't make me leave."

She shook her head and kissed Nicole softly. "You can't fight it," Waverly said, "I'm sorry. I had to."

"You didn't-!"

"I did! I can't let you die," Waverly croaked, "I can't watch you die. Especially when you have no choice being here."

Nicole screwed her eyes shut, "Stop saying that. I love you, it's my choice. My life. You said yourself, magic is just...you have to believe in it."

Waverly felt the regret deep in her bones, but she knew it was the right thing. She knew she had to do this. "I'm so sorry," Waverly said as Nicole's hands desperately grasped at her hips. "I should have never-"

"Don't," Nicole swallowed, "Don't say it. I don't regret a single thing. Except maybe that coffee."

Nicole managed a small smile and Waverly wrapped her arms around her neck. She didn't want to let go but she knew she'd have to soon. The potion would basically force Nicole to leave. The three words Waverly had been avoiding sat on her tongue, ready to explode out at any moment. She swallowed them and kissed Nicole again instead, both their faces wet with tears. Nicole began to tremble and Waverly knew the potion was taking the full effect. 

"For the record, I don't regret anything either," Waverly said nuzzling their noses together, "I never could."

Nicole kissed her again, desperately. Almost as if she thought if she wished hard enough, the effects of the potion would wear off. But even as they kissed, Waverly could feel Nicole pulling away. She began to walk away backwards, touching as much of Waverly as she could as she backed away. 

"I have to go," Nicole said softly, "I can't stop- I just have to go."

"I know," Waverly said nodding sadly. 

Nicole clung to Waverly's hand until just their fingers were barely touching. When she was out of reach her hand dropped to her side and she continued walking backwards towards the door. 

"I'm going to come back for you, Waverly Earp," Nicole said firmly, "No amount of magic will ever keep me away from you. I'll find my way back."

Waverly's tears began to fall harder as she wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't true, she would never come back. The potion wouldn't allow it. It would do everything just short of seriously harming Nicole to keep her away from Waverly. She wanted to shout and tell Nicole that she loved her, but that would be selfish. Why torture the other woman or herself more? She thought as Nicole finally turned and walked out of the Earp house. It would be selfish. 

"Baby girl?"

Waverly turned around and saw Wynonna standing at the bottom of the stairs. She looked a little worse for wear, but she was still Wynonna and that's what mattered. 

"You okay?"

"I should be asking you that," Waverly said wiping a tear from her cheek before crossing her arms tightly once more. 

"Well, I didn't just watch the love of my life walk away from me," the older sister said quietly. In that moment, Waverly broke completely. A sob wracked her body and Wynonna's arms were around her almost instantly. She leaned into her and just let her sister hold her up as she cried. 

***

Nicole tried to contact Waverly. But it was literally impossible. 

She sent her a letter and it always came back with the stamp "RETURN TO SENDER" in angry red letters. 

She called and got a busy signal. She would text and the little "sending" bar on the top never completely filled up. 

Anytime she ever tried to buy a plane ticket back to Maine the website would crash. 

Nothing seemed to work. 

The months passed and passed, but Nicole never gave up. But with each returned letter and failed phone call, her spirit got a little lower. And her heart broke that much more. But she was determined not to give up. Never. 

***

"Waverly! You have a letter!" Aunt Wanda yelled from the kitchen. Waverly was laying on her bed, Wynonna next to her as they scrolled through the eldest phone. 

"That one is when I was in Greece," Wynonna said pointing out a picture before flipping to the next, "whoops, sorry. You shouldn't see that."

"Nonna!"

"Sorry not sorry. They're hot. You don't delete a picture like that."

"You're a pig."

"Waverly!" Walhey's voice traveled up the stairwell along with her footsteps. She wandered into the bedroom and sat at the edge of the bed, a little winded. "Waves, you have a letter. It says Arizona Department of Law Enforcement."

Waverly sat straight up on the bed and ignored Wynonna's disgruntled protests. "Does it have a name on it?"

Wahley just shook her head and handed Waverly the letter. "Just yours."

Waverly took it almost reverently. She ran her finger over the return address before carefully opening the envelope. She slid the letter out and unfolded it. 

Taking a deep breath, she read:

"Dear Ms. Waverly Earp,

The Arizona Law Department would like to inform you that they have ceased any further investigations. The office hereby concluded Bobo DelRay's cause of death was accidental. Jewely in ashes of structure provided positive indentification. 

Sincerely,  
Nicole Haught, special investigator."

She stared at the letter, unable to hide her disappointment. Sure, this was good news. It would always be good news when she wasn't being investigated for murder. But for some reason, she had expected something more. Anything really. 

"This is good news," Wynonna said sitting up and nudging her sisters shoulder with her own, "We're not suspects anymore! Even though you totally spilled the beans! Yay!"

Wynonna tried to be enthusiastic and Waverly appreciated it. She offered a small smile and carefully put the letter back into the envelope. Wahley looked between the two of them with a frown. 

"Doesn't this mean Officer Haught can come back? Now that the investigation is over?" the Aunt asked. 

Waverly felt tears well up in her eyes and the tightness in her chest that hadn't gone away since Nicole left got stronger. Wynonna saw the emotion in her sister's face and jumped in. 

"Um, Waves kinda...made her go away," Wynonna said with a shrug, "Magically."

Wahley turned to Waverly in shock, mouth gaping. "A distance spell? Waverly! Why?"

"She was in danger," Waverly said, her throat tight, "If she stayed the Death March Beetle would get her just like it got Champ. Not to mention the fact that the whole reason she was even here was because of a stupid spell I cast when I was younger."

Wahley blinked before speaking. "Well, first and foremost, magic cannot create love. It can only encourage it. That's one of the first rules of magic I taught you. Second, you can reverse the spell."

"Which spell?"

"The distance spell."

"The point of it was to keep her away from me," Waverly said, "I can't watch her die. If she stays the Death March Beetle will get her."

"Oh sweetheart," Wahley said putting a hand on Waverly's knew, "the curse is broken."

Waverly blinked at her, not believing what she had heard. "What? How?"

"You broke it when you saved your sister," she said matter-of-factly. "Waves, I'm actually a little disappointed that you didn't know this already. But when you saved your sister, it was an act of true love. Your blood, her blood. It was the act of true love your great great great grandmother was waiting for when she created the curse. You were willing to sacrifice yourself for your sister."

Both sisters sat stunned as she shrugged like it had been the most obvious thing in the world. 

"How were we supposed to know that?" Wynonna asked, her eyes practically bugging out. 

"Didn't you guys feel it? That energy? The bright light for heaven's sake!"

Wynonna gestured wildly, "I thought that was just because we're magical and awesome!"

"Oh sweetie," Wahley said with a tilt of her head, "You've got a while to go for that."

"Rude, first of all," Wynonna said standing up from the bed, "Second, come on, Waves. We need to get your girl back."

Wynonna grabbed Waverly's arm and tugged her off the bed. She stumbled after her sister, glaring at her. "We can't just...summon her back."

"Why not?"

Waverly crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "Because of the way I made her leave. She might not want to come back. She might not want...me...anymore."

Aunt Wahley stood up and clapped her hands on her thighs. "Wynonna, talk your sister out of her crazy talk," she said as she left. 

The oldest sister turned and put her hands on her hips. "Listen, she might be a little mad about the fuck and run but if she loves you, she'll come back. Happily."

Waverly blushed and resisted the urge to yell at her sister for her choice language. She played with the ends of her hair and sighed, "I just...I don't know. I'm scared."

"Baby girl," Wynonna said gripping Waverly's arms and holding her at arms length, "I get it. Look at me. I've spent my whole life running because I was scared and look where it got me. Possessed by my ex boyfriend." She smiled weakly and Waverly glared at her. 

She wasn't quite over the whole thing, and she was sure Wynonna wasn't either. Her sister always handled things in her own special way that usually included self depreciating and inappropriate humor. Waves might have hated it, but she has to let Wy handle things in her own way. 

"What I'm trying to say," Wynonna continued, "is that you shouldn't let your fears get in your way. It'll just end with you being possessed. Which is a real drag."

Waverly knew she was right. Although it pained her to admit her sister was right when she was usually the right one, Wynonna had a point. She had been using her spell and the Earp Curse as an excuse to push Nicole away. It was a good excuse, but an excuse. She shrugged and sighed. "Maybe."

"Psh!" Wynonna huffed in disbelief, "You know I'm right."

"I plead the fifth," Waverly said as she began to walk down the stairs and to the green room. There had to be something in the book to counteract the distancing spell. 

"Don't use your girlfriend's fancy phrases on me!" Wynonna yelled as she followed her sister. 

***

"So this will work?" Waverly asked stirring the contents of the bowl. Wynonna was leaning on the table, body half slid off the tall chair in the greenhouse. 

"You're the brilliant one here, remember?" Wynonna said as she ate her second donut for the day. "You're the one who should know this."

Waverly checked the consistency of the mixture with her spoon and sniffed it. Thick like milk, the vague smell of lavender...according to the spell book it should be right. Although her Ancient Greek was getting a little rusty. She stirred it a little more, careful not to over stir. Wynonna stared at her sister in a way that made her sister squirm. 

"What?" She finally asked, breaking under Wynonna's gaze. 

She shrugged and finished off her donut. "Nothing. Just wondering if you're having second thoughts right now."

The brunette stared at the mixture and cursed her sisters ability to read her mind. Not literally (she hoped) but sometimes it felt like it. She sighed and leaned her elbow on the table, hand cradling her chin. "I'm just scared. What if she doesn't want me anymore? She has every reason to be mad at me for sending her away that way."

Wynonna mirrored her sisters position and squinted at her. "You realize she made sure that letter would get to you to tell you she was still trying, right? It may have been typed and probably written and sent by someone else to get through the spell, but she sent it. She didn't have to. We all knew we were off the hook for Bobo, there was no evidence left. She sent it because she's trying to tell you she's thinking of you."

The truth in Wynonna's words almost stung even though she knew they were supposed to help. "You're probably right."

"Ha! I'm right for once!"

"I said 'probably'."

"I'm never going to let you forget you said I was right."

Waverly shot her sister a look but Wynonna looked pleased as punch with herself. She held the letter Waverly had written to Nicole out to her and the younger Earp just stared at it. Wynonna gestured it towards her again and Waverly finally took it with a huff. All she had to do was drop it into the mixture and the deed was done. The spell would be lifted and Nicole could come back. 

If she wanted to. 

Big if. 

"In the wise words of Nike: Just do it," Wynonna said, not unkindly. 

Before she had a chance to overthink it, Waverly dropped the letter in the solution. She watched as it bubbled and soaked into the paper. Her fingers itched to reach in and grab the paper from the potion so she gripped the edge of the table instead. After a moment, the paper swirled and disappeared, along with the potion. 

Both sisters stared at it for a moment. Waverly let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and pushed the empty bowl away from her. 

"Now, Wynonna said wth a smile, "we wait."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I wanted to make sure it was all just right. Enjoy!

The thing Nicole hated the most about Arizona was the heat. The dry, heavy heat that would hit you as soon as you walked out the door. This was the reason she stayed inside as much as she possibly could in the summer. Not to mention going out in the heat in her uniform.  The heavy wool would itch and feel like it was choking her. The right cuffs around the wrists would make her feel trapped and all she ever wanted to do was take it off. 

She thanked the stars for every day she didn't have to come to work in her uniform. One of the perks of no longer being a beat cop. 

All the cases she'd been put on recently pales in comparison to her biggest and her mind kept thinking about the Earp sisters.  One in particular. She thought of the way the ocean breeze drifted through the window the night they had made love. The sound of the ocean drifting through the windows of the old house. 

Many a night had been spent trying to find a way to contact Waverly. She even tried contacting Wynonna but apparently the curse had extended to the entire Earp family. The letter of the case results hadn't been returned to her yet, so she hoped that had gone through. She had to get the receptionist to type it, forge her signature and send it along, but maybe it had worked. 

She tried not to think about Waverly, which was mostly a joke. She was always thinking about Waverly. But each second the brunette was on her brain made her heart ache. It had been only a few weeks, but it felt like forever. 

Coming down the stairs for breakfast, she opened the kitchen window to get a little bit of air. As soon as the window was up, something hit her in the face. She grasped at it and pulled it away when she noticed it was a letter. The only thing on the envelope was her name in familiar writing. Her heart jumped into her throat and her fingers shook as she opened it. Practically collapsing onto a chair, she began to read. 

_Dear Nicole,_

_First of all, I need to say how sorry I am. I sent you away because I was scared and I should have never done that. I was scared for you, and I couldn't let you get hurt because of me. My whole life I had grown up thinking that whoever I loved would die. I was determined to never let that happen._

_Then, Champ happened.  When he died all my created fears had come true.  I had loved and lost and never wanted to love again.  When you came along, you awoke something in me that I had never felt before.  It was something deep in my soul that I can’t quite explain.  After Champ, my heart had been empty.  But when you came along, it was like I was whole again.  It was more then that, even.  It was like a part of me I never realized had been empty had opened up._

_Don’t get me wrong, I did love Champ.  But I think I found my soulmate in you.  I know that’s a lot to say in a letter, especially when I haven’t said “those three words”, but I have to tell you.  Please understand why I had to send you away.  I did it to save you from me.  I thought that even if I lost my soulmate, at least you would be safe.  That’s all that really ever matters, right?_

_Nicole, please believe me when I say I never wanted you to leave and each moment you’ve been away from me has been like a nail in my heart.  If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’ve lifted the spell.  You’re free to come and go as you wish. It’s up to you, but know that I want you back, so much.  And I really hope you come._

_Love,  
Waverly_

Nicole read the letter over and over until she had it memorized.  She could hardly believe it.  After weeks of absolutely no contact with Waverly in anyway, and here she had a letter.  A letter that basically professed Waverly’s love for her.  Without even thinking she pulled out her phone and began to look up flights to Maine.  The pages that hadn’t been loading before started to load.

She practically wept in happiness.

***

“You think she’s going to relax anytime soon?” Doc asked Wynonna as they sat on the porch.  They watched Waverly prune the garden for what had to be the fifth time that week.  Wynonna took a sip of her beer and shook her head.

“Nope.  She’s not going to relax until she hears from Nicole,” Wynonna answered.

Dolls sat on the other side of her and leaned back in his chair.  “Still nothing?”

Wynonna shook her head and clucked her tongue.  Doc shrugged and looked over at the other two.  “It’s only been, what?  Ten days or so?  Maybe the other girl needed some time to process.  Get her affairs in order.”

“Not before answering my baby sister she didn’t,” Wynonna said under her breath.

“Maybe the spell didn’t work,” Dolls tried.

The eldest Earp girl just let out a humorless laugh.  “Waverly would never mess up that spell.”

They all sat, still staring and in their own thoughts.  Waverly huffed and looked back at the three on the porch.  “Stop staring at me!” she shouted at them, “It’s really creeping me out!”

Her sister just shrugged and shot her a wink as she took another sip of her beer.  

 

Waverly was getting tired of all the whispering happening behind her back these last few days.  Not by the people in town, they'd all been friendlier then they'd ever been.  Business at her shop was booming.  It was her family (extended included) that was the problem.  None of them would dare ask directly about Nicole or bring her up in any way to Waverly.  But she knew by their curious and increasingly more pitying eyes that they were thinking it.  Waverly didn't need their pity.  Not when she was full of anxiety herself about the whole situation.

Every day that passed without a sign of Nicole made her anxious.  The anxiety had become so much that she needed to keep herself busy always just to avoid thinking about Nicole.  She had reorganized the entire house (much to Wynonna and Wanda's dismay) and had moved on to the garden.  The rose bush that had grown over Bobo's grave was burned down and she spent the rest of the time cleaning out the ashes and replanting other flowers.

She told herself that even if Nicole didn't come back for her, it was okay.  It meant that she was over her and that was just fine.  Waverly would get over her too.  Though she also wondered how long she should wait before going to Arizona herself to find the woman.  She sighed and wiped some hair out of her face with the back of her hand, sitting back on her haunches and squinting up at the sun.  That would sure get Wynonna to stop talking.  She was also sure that if it came to that, Wynonna would hunt Nicole down herself and threaten her.  That was definitely something she wanted to avoid.  She could still hear their whispering behind her but chose to ignore it.  Acknowledging it would only make it worse.

"Hey Earp," a familiar voice came from the fence of the garden and Waverly froze.  Her heart started to pound a little faster and the blood rushed through her ears.  She was afraid to turn and look.  Afraid to be disappointed.  Afraid the shattering of her heart would be audible and she wouldn't be able to hide it.  "You gonna say hi or just stare at the dirt all day?"

Waverly turned and saw the red head leaning against the fence, bright smile on her face.  Her heart expanded so quickly it almost hurt.  She was off the ground and had run into Nicole's arms before she even realized it.  Tears sparkled on her eyelashes as she buried her face in the taller woman's neck, arms looped around her neck.  The fence dug uncomfortably into her stomach as she hugged Nicole over it but she could hardly care.

"I missed you," Waverly sobbed into her neck.

"I missed you too," Nicole said cradling the back of her head like she was the most precious thing on earth.  Waverly pulled away to see Nicole's face better, just to make sure she wasn't an illusion.  She put her hands on Nicole's cheeks and looked up at her.  Dark eyes sparkled back at her, pink lips curved up in a smile.

"Just kiss her already!" Wynonna yelled from the porch like a drunken heckler at a sports game.  Waverly pulled away just long enough to shoot Wynonna a death glance before Nicole distracted her by nuzzling her cheek so she'd turn around.

"Your sister has a point," she whispered with a raised eyebrow.

Waverly rolled her eyes, "Don't ever tell her that."

Without waiting a second longer, Waverly closed the gap between them and kissed her fiercely.  Her heart fluttered and landed in her stomach, smiling into the kiss.  It was like she was finally whole again.  That piece she had been missing had been restored.

The sound of cat calls and whistles came from the porch and Waverly practically growled in frustration.  She pulled away to look at her sister and two friends on the porch.  Wynonna lifted her beer towards them and made some sort of sound that Waverly didn't even know humans could make.  Waverly loosened her grip around Nicole's neck just to flip off the older Earp and Wynonna returned the sentiment with a wide smile.

"Welcome back, Nicky!" she shouted.

Nicole's chuckle brought Waverly's attention back to her and they kissed again.  Waverly sighed and let the relief of the red head being here flow through her body.  She didn't have to sit and wonder any more, she was here.  In her arms.  Even with the uncomfortable fence digging into her body between them.  She shifted uncomfortably and reluctantly pulled away.  Her hands smoothed over Nicole's shoulders and down her arms until their hands were connected.  Their eyes never left each other as Waverly led her over to the gate door and through it.  Waverly leapt into the taller woman's arms, legs locking around her waist.

She ignored the continued wolf whistles from her sister and pressed her forehead to Nicole's.  "You came back."

Nicole nuzzled their noses together and tightened her grip on Waverly.  "I came back.  For you."

***

Waverly pulled her knees to her chest as the cool air coming off the ocean surrounded her.  The balcony of her bed room had always been where she went to think and tonight was no different.  She woke up, a mess of red hair next to her, and she smiled wistfully.  She stretched, her bones popping and cracking as she swung her legs out of bed.  Slipping on some sleep shorts and a tank top, she slipped onto the balcony to think.

Nicole's arrival this morning had been nothing short of magical, for lack of a better word.  Waverly thought she'd never been as happy as when she saw her smile shining at her from across the yard.  The Aunts had doted all over the other woman, Doc and Dolls observed from a distance as if trying to figure out if they should trust her and Wynonna just asked her all sorts of probing questions.  The kind Waverly refused to repeat, even when just reflecting on it.

"Hey," came a sleepy voice from the bedroom.  Waverly looked over her shoulder and Nicole was sitting up in the bed squinting at her.  "Everything okay?"

Waverly nodded with a smile and turned back to look out towards the ocean.  The waves crashed on the shore in a comforting song that had gotten her through many a sleepless night.  She felt long, warm limbs encircle her and she leaned back into Nicole's chest.  She sat with Waverly between her legs, arms around her waist as she kissed the smaller woman's shoulder softly.

"Mind if I join you?" Nicole asked against her shoulder.

Waverly leaned further back into Nicole, her hands covering hers over her stomach.  "Not at all."

They sat in silence for a moment, just watching the ocean crash into the rocks.  Nicole swept Waverly's hair over one shoulder so that she could press a soft kiss into the crook of her neck. 

"Can't sleep?" Nicole asked, resting her chin on Waverly's shoulder. 

Waverly sighed. "I just woke up and suddenly felt awake."  Undoubtedly from all the questions that had been circling in her mind since Nicole's return.  Some from even before that. She pulled her lip between her teeth and Nicole hummed. 

"You're thinking," Nicole whispered, "You bite your lip when you think."

"How-"

"I'm a cop.  It's my job to be observant," Nicole said.  

Waverly turned her head to capture Nicole's lips gently.  "As Wynonna would say, that's what I get for dating a narc."

Nicole snorted and tugged Waverly even closer, her front to her back.  "So, what are you thinking about?"

The brunette's head rolled onto Nicole's shoulder.  "About...you being back.  And how I'm so glad you're here."

"And?"

"And..." Waverly licked her lips and said in one breath, "And what if the curse isn't actually broken."  She felt Nicole nod slowly as she continued.  "I just...I felt it once, losing someone I love.  And I don't know if I could handle it again.  You know?  It sounds selfish, and it is I suppose.  My first priority will always be to keep you safe.  But what if my Aunts are wrong?  What if you're not safe now?  Then it's basically a death sentence for you."

Nicole was silent for a moment before speaking up.  "Did you just say you loved me?"

Waverly blushed deeply and scoffed.  "Here I'm talking about you dying and that's what you picked up on."

"Can you blame me?"

Playing with the ring on Nicole's pointer finger, Waverly said softly, "If I say it...it'll be real.  And if it's real and the curse isn't broken-"

"Are you saying it's not real?  If you don't speak it?"  Waverly was silent so Nicole continued.  "Waves, it's real for me.  It's real for us, even if you don't say it out loud.  It's not about saying it, it's about feeling it in here." She picked up Waverly's hand and placed it on her heart.  She smiled softly and said jokingly.  "See?  You've turned me into a sap, Waverly Earp.  If that's not love, I don't know what is."

Waverly's eyes fluttered shut and she could feel tears brimming.  Her heart ached a thousand times over and she just wished things were different.  She wished her Daddy hadn't been killed by the curse.  She wished her Momma hadn't died of a broken heart.  She wished her Aunts had never cast that spell and she hadn't bothered getting to know Champ, even when her heart wished for him.  He'd still be alive and maybe she'd still be committed to dying a hermit.  Just her and Wynonna.

"I'm just scared," she admitted with a shaky breath.

"Why?" Nicole asked, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her jaw.

"Because," Waverly said finally opening her eyes and turning to look at the red head, "Because...I...I love you."

It felt like...not that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  But like something had happened within her and she was finally free.  It wasn't something she could describe.  It was almost like she was finally the person she was meant to be.

"I love you too," Nicole said with a wide smile, "And no curse will ever take me away from you.  You hear me?"

Waverly just nodded and sniffled, pecking Nicole's lips ever so softly.  "Does that mean we're like...dating or something?"

Nicole let out a low laugh and looked up like she was thinking.  "Well, I did get a job transfer over here.  And I might have rented an apartment in town.  So..."  Nicole shrugged, trying to play it off.  "I guess we can be dating."

The brunette's heart swelled in her chest and she rested her temple on Nicole's collarbone her body sideways between Nicole's thighs.   Her fingers played with the hem of the taller woman's shirt as she asked quietly.  "You transferred here?"  The red head just nodded and brushed her lips over Waverly's forehead.  "Well that's...nice."

They sat in silence for a few moments as Waverly got used to this feeling.  The feeling of being in Nicole's arms and everything just feeling so...perfect.

"Can I show you something?" Waverly asked as she turned in Nicole's arms again, her back to the other woman's front.

"Sure," Nicole said adjusting how she was sitting.  Waverly sat cross legged held her hands in front of her, palms facing each other just a few inches apart.  

Waverly took a deep breath.  "Here, put your hands on mine."  Nicole complied and Waverly shut her eyes for a moment, focusing her energy between her hands.  A tingling ran up her arms and a small ball of energy formed between her hands.  She felt Nicole gasp behind her and smiled as she opened her eyes and began to shape the energy.  Her fingers moved like she was forming a ball of clay until a flower materialized in her hand.  A yellow rose floated briefly between her hands.  Waverly grabbed Nicole's wrist and rotated her hand, palm upwards, as the rose gently landed on her.

"Wow," Nicole breathed out, "I wish I was a witch."

"Every woman has a little bit of magic in them," Nicole said sitting up on her knees and turning to face Nicole.  She draped her arms over the other woman's shoulders and pressed their foreheads together.  "Now, take me to bed."


	10. Epilogue

"Are you sure this is safe?" Nicole asked with a raised eyebrow, both hands on her belt buckle. She leaned against the kitchen counter and watching her girlfriend get ready.

Waverly adjusted the large, pointy hat on her head and smiled up at her girlfriend.  "Of course," she said taking the broom that Wynonna handed her, "We're witches."

Nicole cocked her head like a confused puppy and looked over her girlfriend carefully.  "I'm...very aware,” she said in a way that made Waverly blush, “I just-…you’re jumping off a roof, baby.”

Nicole’s shoulder jutted forward, Wynonna pushing it from behind. “Calm down, Officer Goody Two Shoes,” the older sister said gesturing at Waverly with her own matching hat, “You know just as well as me how good of a witch this one here is. If anyone’s going to make it out alive it’s her.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and slipped her arms around Nicole’s waist. “No one’s dying. It’s perfectly safe. The worst that could happen is…” Waverly thought for a moment and then shrugged, “A broken limb.” Nicole looked on the verge of panic so Waverly quickly soothed her and swayed with her. “But that won’t even happen.”

“Fine,” Nicole said with a small smile, “You can’t blame me, I’m just worried about…” She trailed off, her eyes wandering down to Waverly’s stomach.

The shorter woman giggled as her hand instinctively went to her stomach as well. “I know, baby,” Waverly said, moving Nicole’s hand to cover her growing baby bump. It was still small, barely noticeable, but still enough to make Nicole smile just by looking at it. 

“Ugh, gross,” Wynonna said. She tipped the hat onto her head and grabbed her own broom. “You guys really freak me out sometimes.”

“Leave them alone,” Aunt Wahley said smiling at the two, “At least someone’s bringing babies into the house.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes and made a face. “Whatever. Let’s go, baby girl,” she said grasping Waverly’s wrist and tugging her away from Nicole. She looked back at Nicole once, just to offer her a reassuring wink before taking her place on the roof with the rest of her family. 

It was a tradition they had started a few years ago now for Halloween, ever since the town had finally embraced them. Who would have thought that it would take Wynona almost dying to get the town to realize they weren’t dangerous. It also helped when the town found out that Waverly was dating the charming new deputy in town. And when Nicole became Sheriff, well, they were practically eating out of their hands. 

When Waverly took her place on the edge of the roof, she looked down into the crowd of people that had gathered around their home and caught sight of Nicole. Right at the front. She smiled down at her and the red head beamed up at her. She looked over to her left to see Wynonna and her left where her aunts were and smiled. She finally had the perfect family.

“On the count of three,” Aunt Wanda said as they all mounted their brooms, “One…two…three!” 

They all hopped of the roof at the same time, all floating down on their brooms in sync. The crowd cheered and gathered around them as they landed. Waverly’s eyes only saw Nicole though, and the way she smiled up at her. Nicole’s arms wrapped around her and Waverly felt it. She felt everything that she spent most of her life guarding herself against. Nicole had come back. Nicole had come back for her. No curse, not even the Earp curse, had been able to keep true love apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! It's finally done! This chapter is short, if I'm being honest it was bothering me that the fic wasn't going to end on an even number so I added an epilogue. Thank you for those of you who have read this far! I'm ready to start my second fic so let me know if you have any prompts!


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